WfrMs' 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


HARRIET  TTJBMAN. 


SCENES 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF 


HARRIET  TUBMAN. 


SARAH  H.   BRADFORD. 


AUBURN: 
W.    J.    MOSES,    PRINTER. 

1860. 


E44f 
T3 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1869, 

BY  WILLIAM  G.  WISE, 
In  the  Clerk's  Offl^^e  Di^*<^£*|£  Northem  Districl 


STEREOTYPED  BY 

DENNIS    BRO'S    &    CO., 

AUBURN,  N.  Y. 


rnTBODUOTKXST. 


THE  following  little  story  was  written  by  Mrs.  Sarah  H. 
Bradford,  of  Geneva,  with  the  single  object  of  furnishing 
some  help  to  the  subject  of  the  memoir.  Harriet  Tubman's 
services  and  sufferings  during  the  rebellion,  which  are 
acknowledged  in  the  letters  of  Gen.  Saxton,  and  others,  it 
was  thought  by  many,  would  justify  the  bestowment  of  a 
pension  by  the  Government.  But  the  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  procuring  such  relief,  suggested  other  methods,  and 
finally  the  present  one.  The  narrative  was  prepared  on 
the  eve  of  the  author's  departure  for  Europe,  where  she 
still  remains.  It  makes  no  claim  whatever  to  literary 
merit.  Her  hope  was  merely  that  the  considerably  numer- 
ous public  already  in  part  acquainted  with  Harriet's  story, 
would  furnish  purchasers  enough  to  secure  a  little  fund  for 
the  relief  of  this  remarkable  woman.  Outside  that  circle 
she  did  not  suppose  the  memoir  was  likely  to  meet  with 
much  if  any  sale. 

In  furtherance  of  the  same  benevolent  scheme,  and  in  or- 
der to  secure  the  whole  avails  of  the  work  for  Harriet's 
benefit,  a  subscription  has  been  raised  more  than  sufficient 
to  defray  the  entire  cost  of  publication.  This  has  been 
effected  by  the  generous  exertions  of  Wm.  G.  Wise,  Esq., 
of  this  city.  The  whole  amount  was  contributed  by  citi- 


M79798 


INTRODUCTION. 

zens  of  Auburn,  with  the  exception  of  two  liberal  subscrip- 
tions by  Gcrrit  Smith,  Esq.,  and  Mr.  Wendell  Phillips. 

Mr.  Wise  has  also  consented,  at  Mrs.  Bradford's  request, 
to  act  as  trustee  for  Harriet ;  and  will  receive,  invest,  and 
apply,  for  her  benefit,  whatever  may  accrue  from  the  sale 
of  this  book. 

The  spirited  wood- cut  likeness  of  Harriet,  in  her  costume 
as  scout,  was  furnished  by  the  kindness  of  Mr.  J.  C.  Darby, 
of  this  city.  S.  M.  H. 

AUBUKN,  Dec.  1, 1868. 


PEEFAOE. 


IT  is  proposed  in  this  little  book  to  give  a  plain 
and  unvarnished  account  of  some  scenes  and  adven- 
tures in  the  life  of  a  woman  who,  though  one  of 
earth's  lowly  ones,  and  of  dark-hued  skin,  has 
shown  an  amount  of  heroism  in  her  character  rarely 
possessed  by  those  of  any  station  in  life.  Her  name 
(we  say  it  advisedly  and  without  exaggeration) 
deserves  to  be  handed  down  to  posterity  side  by 
side  with  the  names  of  Joan  of  Arc,  Grace  Darling, 
and  Florence  Nightingale  ;  for  not  one  of  these 
women  has  shown  more  courage  and  power  of  en- 
durance in  facing  danger  and  death  to  relieve  hu- 
man suffering,  than  has  this  woman  in  her  heroic 
and  successful  endeavors  to  reach  and  save  all  whom 
she  might  of  her  oppressed  and  suffering  race,  and 
to  pilot  them  from  the  land  of  Bondage  to  the 
promised  land  of  Liberty.  Well  has  she  been  call- 
ed "  Moses"  for  she  has  been  a  leader  and  deliverer 
unto  hundreds  of  her  people. 


2  PREFACE. 

Worn  down  by  her  sufferings  and  fatigues,  her 
health  permanently  affected  by  the  cruelties  to 
which  she  has  been  subjected,  she  is  still  laboring 
to  the  utmost  limit  of  her  strength  for  the  support 
of  her  aged  parents,  and  still  also  for  her  afflicted 
people — by  her  own  efforts  supporting  two  schools 
for  Freedmen  at  the  South,  and  supplying  them 
with  clothes  and  books  ;  never  obtruding  herself, 
never  asking  for  charity,  except  for  "  her  people." 

It  is  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  her  in  ministering 
to  the  wants  of  her  aged  parents,  and  in  the  hope 
of  securing  to  them  the  little  home  which  they  are 
in  danger  of  losing  from  inability  to  pay  the  whole 
amount  due — which  amount  was  partly  paid  when 
our  heroine  left  them  to  throw  herself  into  the  work 
of  aiding  our  suffering  soldiers — that  this  little  ac- 
count, drawn  from  her  by  persevering  endeavor,  is 
given  to  the  friends  of  humanity. 

The  writer  of  this  story  has  till  very  lately  known 
less  personally  of  the  subject  of  it,  than  many  others 
to  whom  she  has  for  years  been  an  object  of  inter- 
est and  care.  But  through  relations  and  friends  in 
Auburn,  and  also  through  Mrs.  Commodore  Swift 
of  Geneva,  and  her  sisters,  who  have  for  many  years 
known  and  esteemed  this  wonderful  woman,  she 
has  heard  tales  of  her  deeds  of  heroism  which 


PREFACE.  3 

seemed  almost  too  strange  for  belief,  and  were  in- 
vested with  the  charm  of  romance. 

During  a  sojourn  of  some  months  in  the  city  of 
Auburn,  while  the  war  was  in  progress,  the  writer 
used  to  see  occasionally  in  her  Sunday-school  class 
the  aged  mother  of  Harriet,  and  also  some  of  those 
girls  who  had  been  brought  from  the  South  by  this 
remarkable  woman.  She  also  wrote  letters  for  the 
old  people  to  commanding  officers  at  the  South,  mak- 
ing inquiries  about  Harriet,  and  received  answers 
telling  of  her  untiring  devotion  to  our  wounded  and 
sick  soldiers,  and  of  her  efficient  aid  in  various  ways 
to  the  cause  of  the  Union. 

By  the  graphic  pen  of  Mrs.  Stowe,  the  incidents 
of  such  a  life  as  that  of  the  subject  of  this  little 
memoir  might  be  wrought  up  into  a  tale  of  thrilling 
interest,  equaling,  if  not  exceeding,  anything  in  her 
world-renowned  •  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin ;  "  but  the 
story  of  Harriet  Tubman  needs  not  the  drapery  of 
fiction  ;  the  bare  unadorned  facts  are  enough  to  stir 
the  hearts  of  the  friends  of  humanity,  the  friends  of 
liberty,  the  lovers  of  their  country. 

There  are  those  who  will  sneer,  there  are  those 
who  have  already  done  so,  at  this  quixotic  attempt 
to  make  a  heroine  of  a  black  woman,  and  a  slave ; 
but  it  may  possibly  be  that  there  are  some  natures, 


4  PREFACE. 

though  concealed  under  fairer  skins,  who  have  not 
the  capacity  to  comprehend  such  general  and  self- 
sacrificing  devotion  to  the  cause  of  others  as  that 
.here  delineated,  and  therefore  they  resort  to  scorn 
and  ridicule,  in  order  to  throw  discredit  upon  the 
whole  story. 

Much  has  been  left  out  which  would  have  been 
highly  interesting,  because  of  the  impossibility  of 
substantiating  by  the  testimony  of  others  the  truth 
of  Harriet's  statements.  But  whenever  it  has  been 
possible  to  find  those  who  were  cognizant  with  the 
facts  stated,  they  have  been  corroborated  in  every 
particular. 

A  few  years  hence  and  we  seem  to  see  a  gather- 
ing where  the  wrongs  of  earth  will  be  righted,  and 
Justice,  long  delayed,  will  assert  itself,  and  perform 
its  office.  Then  not  a  few  of  those  who  had 
esteemed  themselves  the  wise  and  noble  of  this 
world,  "  will  begin  with  shame  to  take  the  lowest 
place ;  "  while  upon  Harriet's  dark  head  a  kind  hand 
will  be  placed,  and  in  her  ear  a  gentle  voice  will 
sound,  saying  :  "  Friend !  come  up  higher  ! " 

S.  H.  B. 

The  following  letters  to  the  writer  from  those 
well-known  and  distinguished  philanthropists,  Hon. 


PREFACE.  5 

Gerrit  Smith  and  Wendell  Phillips,  and  one  from 
Frederick  Douglass,  addressed  to  Harriet,  will  serve 
as  the  best  introduction  that  can  be  given  of  the 
subject  of  this  memoir  to  its  readers  : 

Letter  from  Hon.  Gerrit  Smith. 

PETERBORO,  June  13,  1868. 

MY  DEAR  MADAME  :  I  am  happy  to  learn  that 
you  are  to  speak  to  the  public  of  Mrs.  Harriet 
Tubman.  Of  the  remarkable  events  of  her  life  I 
have  no  personal  knowledge,  but  of  the  truth  of 
them  as  she  describes  them  I  have  no  doubt. 

I  have  often  listened  to  her,  in  her  visits  to  my 
family,  and  I  am  confident  that  she  is  not  only 
truthful,  but  that  she  has  a  rare  discernment,  and  a 
deep  and  sublime  philanthropy. 

With  great  respect  your  friend, 

GERRIT  SMITH. 


Letter  from  Wendell  Phillips. 

JUNE  16,  1868. 

DEAR  MADAME  :  The  last  time  I  ever  saw  John 
Brown  was  under  my  own  roof,  as  he  brought 
Harriet  Tubman  to  me,  saying  :  "  Mr.  Phillips,  I 
bring  you  one  of  the  best  and  bravest  persons  on 
this  continent — Cr finer cil  Tubman,  as  we  call  her." 


6  PREFACE. 

He  then  went  on  to  recount  her  labors  and  sacri- 
fices in  behalf  of  her  race.  After  that,  Harriet  spent 
some  time  in  Boston,  earning  the  confidence  and 
admiration  of  all  those  who  were  working  for  free- 
dom. With  their  aid  she  went  to  the  South  more 
than  once,  returning  always  with  a  squad  of  self1 
emancipated  men,  women,  and  children,  for  whom 
her  marvelous  skill  had  opened  the  way  of  escape. 
After  the  war  broke  out,  she  was  sent  with  indorse- 
ments from  Governor  Andrew  and  his  friends  to 
South  Carolina,  where  in  the  service  of  the  Nation 
she  rendered  most  important  and  efficient  aid  to 
our  army. 

In  my  opinion  there  are  few  captains,  perhaps 
few  colonels,  who  have  done  more  for  the  loyal 
cause  since  the  war  began,  and  few  men  who  did 
before  that  time  more  for  the  colored  race,  than  our 
fearless  and  most  sagacious  friend,  Harriet. 
Faithfully  yours,' 

WEXPELL  PHILLIPS. 


Letter  from  Frederick  Douglass. 

ROCHESTER,  August  2*9,  1868. 
DEAR  HARRIET:     Iain  glad  to  know  that   the 
storv  of  your  eventful  life  has  been  written  by  u 


PREFACE.  I 

kind  lady,  and  that  the  same  is  soon  to  be  published. 
You  ask  for  what  you  do  not  need  when  you  call 
upon  me  for  a  word  of  commendation.  I  need  such 
words  from  you  far  more  than  you  can  need  them 
from  me,  especially  where  your  superior  labors  and 
'devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  lately  enslaved  of  our 
land  are  known  as  I  know  them.  The  difference 
between  us  is  very  marked.  Most  that  I  have 
done  and  suffered  in  the  service  of  our  cause  has 
been  in  public,  and  I  have  received  much  encour- 
agement at  every  step  of  the  way.  You  on  the 
other  hand  have  labored  in  a  private  way;  I  have 
wrought  in  the  day — you  in  the  night.  I  have  had 
the  applause  of  the  crowd  and  the  satisfaction  that 
comes  of  being  approved  by  the  multitude,  while 
the  most  that  you  have  done  has  been  witnessed 
by  a  few  trembling,  scarred,  and  foot-sore  bondmen 
and  women,  whom  you  have  led  out  of  the  house 
of  bondage,  and  whose  heartfelt  "  God  bless  you" 
has  been  your  only  reward.  The  midnight  sky  and 
the  silent  stars  have  been  the  witnesses  of  your  de- 
votion to  freedom  and  of  your  heroism.  Excepting 
John  Brown — of  sacred  memory — I  know  of  no  one 
who  has  willingly  encountered  more  perils  and 
hardships  to  serve  our  enslaved  people  than  you 
have.  Much  that  you  have  done  would  seem  im- 


8  PREFACE. 

probable  to  those  who  do  not  know  you  as  I  know 
you.  It  is  to  me  a  great  pleasure  and  a  great  privi- 
lege to  bear  testimony  to  your  character  and  your 
works,  and  to  say  to  those  to  whom  you  may  come, 
that  I  regard  you  in  every  way  truthful  and  trust- 
worthy. Your  friend, 

FREDERICK  DOUGLASS. 


SOME    SCENES 


IN  THE 


LIFE   OF  HARRIET  TUBMAN. 


HARRIET  TUBMAN,  known  at  various  times,*  and 
in  various  places,  by  many  different  names,  such  as 
"  Moses,"  in  allusion  to  her  being  the  leader  and 
guide  to  so  many  of  her  people  in  their  exodus  from 
the  Land  of  Bondage ;  "  the  Conductor  of  the  Under- 
ground Railroad  ; "  and  "  Moll  Pitcher,"  for  the  en- 
ergy and  daring  by  which  she  delivered  a  fugitive 
slave  who  was  about  to  be  dragged  back  to  the 
South  ;  was  for  the  first  twenty-five  yours  of  her 
life  a  slave  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland.  Her 
own  master  she  represents  as  never  unnecessarily 
cruel ;  but  as  was  common  among  slaveholders,  he 
often  hired  out  his  slaves  to  others,  some  of  whom 
proved  to  be  tyrannical  and  brutal  to  the  utmost 
limit  of  their  power. 

She  had  worked  only  as  a  field-hand  for  many 
years,  following  the  oxen,  loading  and  unloading 
wood,  and  carrying  heavy  burdens,  by  which  her 


10  SOME    SCENES    IX    THE 

naturally  remarkable  power  of  muscle  was  so  devel- 
oped that  her  feats  of  strength  often  called  forth 
the  wonder  of  strong  laboring  men.  Thus  was  she 
preparing  for  the  life  of  hardship  and  endurance 
which  lay  before  her,  for  the  deeds  of  daring  she 
was  to  do,  and  of  which  her  ignorant  and  darkened 
mind  at  tii'iit  i  .ii'<"  i:<-\  cr  dreamed. 

Tin  liivt,  <perso>i  ,by  w,hom  she  was  hired  was  a 
vcuuv.i  who,  though  married  and  the  mother  of  a 
iamily,  was  still  "  Miss  Susan  "  to  her  slaves,  as  is 
customary  at  the  South.  This  wroman  was  possess- 
ed of  the  good  things  of  this  life,  and  provided  lib- 
erally for  her  slaves — so  far  as  food  and  clothing 
went.  But  she  had  been  brought  up  to  believe, 
and  to  act  upon  the  belief,  that  a  slave  could  be 
taught  to  do  nothing,  and  would  do  nothing  but 
under  the  sting  of  the  whip.  Harriet,  then  a  young 
girl,  was  taken  from  her  life  in  the  field,  and  having 
never  seen  the  inside  of  a  house  better  than  a  cabin 
in  the  negro  quarters,  was  put  to  house-work  with- 
out being  told  how  to  do  anything.  The  first  thing 
was  to  put  a  parlor  in  order.  "  Move  these  chairs 
and  tables  into  the  middle  of  the  room,  sweep  the 
carpet  clean,  then  dust  everything,  and  put  them 
back  in  their  places  !  "  These  were  the  directions 
given,  and  Harriet  was  left  alone  to  do  hor  work. 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  11 

The  whip  was  in  sight  on. the  mantel-piece,  as  a 
reminder  of  what  was  to  be  expected  if  the  work 
was  not  done  well.  Harriet  fixed  the  furniture  as 
she  was  told  to  do,  and  swept  with  all  her  strength, 
raisins:  a  tremendous  dust.  The  moment  she  had 

O 

finished  sweeping,  she  took  her  dusting  cloth,  and 
wiped  everything  "  so  you  could  see  your  fo.cc  in 
'em,  de  shone  so,"  in  haste  to  go  and  set  the  table 
for  breakfast,  and  do  her  other  work.  The  dust 
which  she  had  set  flying  only  settled  down  again 
on  chairs,  tables,  and  the  piano.  "  Miss  Susan  " 
came  in  and  looked  around.  Then  came  the  call 
for  "  Minty " — Harriet's  name  was  Araminta  at 
the  South. 

She  drew  her  up  to  the  table,  saying,  "  What  do 
you  mean  by  doing  my  work  this  way,  you — ! " 
and  passing  her  finger  on  the  table  and  piano,  she 
showed  her  the  mark  it  made  through  the  dust. 
"  Miss  Susan,!  done  sweep  and  dust  jus'  as  you  tole 
rue."  But  the  whip  was  already  taken  down,  and 
the  strokes  were  falling  on  head  and  face  and  neck. 
Four  times  this  scene  was  repeated  before  break- 
fast, when,  during  the  fifth  whipping,  the  door 
opened,  and  "Miss  Emily"  came  in.  She  was  a 
married  sister  of  "  Miss  Susan,"  and  was  making 
her  a  visit,  and  though  brought  up  with  the  same 


12  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

associations  as  her  sister,  seems  to  have  been  a  per- 
son of  more  gentle  and  reasonable  nature.  Not 
being  able  to  endure,  the  screams  of  the  child  any 
longer,  she  came  in,  took  her  sister  by  the  arm,  and 
said,  "  If  you  do  not  stop  whipping  that  child,  I 
will  leave  your  house,  and  never  come  back  !  "  Miss 
Susan  declared  that  "  she  would  not  mind,  and  she 
slighted  her  work  on  purpose."  Miss  Emily  said, 
"  Leave  her  to  me  a  few  moments  ;  "  and  Miss  Susan 
left  the  room,  indignant.  As  soon  as  they  were 
alone,  Miss  Emily  said :  "  Now,  Minty,  show  me 
how  you  do  your  work."  For  the  sixth  time  Har- 
riet removed  all  the  furniture  into  the  middle  of 
the  room;  then  she  swept;  and  the  moment  she 
had  done  sweeping,  she  took  the  dusting  cloth  to 
wipe  off  the  furniture.  "  Now  stop  there,"  said 
Miss  Emily  ;  "  go  away  now,  and  do  some  of  your 
other  work,  and  when  it  is  time  to  dust,  I  will  call 
you."  When  the  time  came  she  called  her,  and  ex- 
plained to  her  how  the  dust  had  now  settled,  and 
that  if  she  wiped  it  off  now,  the  furniture  would 
remain  bright  and  clean.  These  few  words  an  hour 
or  two  before,  would  have  saved  Harriet  her  whip- 
pings for  that  day,  as  they  probably  did  for  many 
a  day  after. 

While  with  this  woman,  after  working  from  early 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET   TUBMAN.  13 

morning  till  late  at  night,  she  was  obliged  to  sit  up 
all  nio-ht  to  rock  a  cross,  sick  child.  Her  mistress 

O 

laid  upon  her  bed  with  a  whip  under  her  pillow, 
and  slept ;  but  if  the  tired  nurse  forgot  herself  for 
a  moment,  if  her  weary  head  dropped,  and  her  hand 
ceased  to  rock  the  cradle,  the  child  would  cry  out, 
and  then  down  would  come  the  whip  upon  the  neck 
and  face  of  the  poor  weary  creature.  The  scars  are 
still  plainly  visible  where  the  whip  cut  into  the 
flesh.  Perhaps  her  mistress  was  preparing  her, 
though  she  did  not  know  it  then,  by  this  enforced 
habit  of  wakefulness,  for  the  many  long  nights  of 
travel,  when  she  was  the  leader  and  guide  of  the 
weary  and  hunted  ones  who  were  escaping  from 
bondage. 

"  Miss  Susan  "  got  tired  -of  Harriet,  as  Harriet 
was  determined  she  should  do,  and  so  abandoned 
her  intention  of  buying  her,  and  sent  her  back  to 
her  master.  She  was  next  hired  out  to  the  man 
who  inflicted  upon  her  the  life-long  injury  from 
which  she  is  suffering  now,  by  breaking  her  skull 
with  a  weight  from  the  scales.  The  injury  thus 
inflicted  causes  her  often  to  fall  into  a  state  of 
somnolency  from  which  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
rouse  her.  Disabled  and  sick,  her  flesh  all  wasted 
away,  she  was  returned  to  her  owner.  He  tried  to 


14  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

sell  her,  but  no  one  would  buy  her.     "  Dey  said  dey 
wouldn't  give  a  sixpence  for  me,"  she  said. 

"  And  so,"  she  said,  "  from  Christmas  till  March 
I  worked  as  I  could,  and  I  prayed  through  all  the 
long  nights — I  groaned  and  prayed  for  ole  master : 
'  Oh  Lord,  convert  master  ! '  'Oh  Lord,  change 
dat  man's  heart!'  'Pears  like  I  prayed  all  de 
tune,"  said  Harriet ;  "  'bout  my  work,  everywhere, 
I  prayed  an'  I  groaned  to  de  Lord.  When  I  went 
to  de  horse-trough  to  wash  my  face,  I  took  up  do 
water  in  my  han'  an'  I  said,  '  Oh  Lord,  wash  me, 
make  me  clean ! '  Den  I  take  up  something  to 
wipe  my  face,  an'  I  say,  '  Oh  Lord,  wipe  away 
all  my  sin  ! '  When  I  took  de  broom  and  began 
to  sweep,  I  groaned,  '  Oh  Lord,  wha'soebber  sin 
dere  be  in  my  heart,  sweep  it  out,  Lord,  clur  an' 
clean !'  '  No  words  can  describe  the  pathos  of  her 
tones,  as  she  broke  out  into  these  words  of  prayer, 
after  the  manner  of  her  people.  "An'  so,"  said 
she,  "  I  prayed  all  night  long  for  master,  till  the 
first  of  March ;  an'  all  the  time  he  was  bringing 
people  to  look  at  me,  an'  trying  to  sell  me.  Den 
we  heard  dat  some  of  us  was  gwine  to  be  sole  to  go 
wid  de  chain-gang  down  to  de  cotton  an'  rice  fields, 
and  dey  said  I  was  gwine,  an'  my  brudders,  an'  sis- 
ters. Den  I  changed  my  prayer.  Fust  of  March 


LIFE    OF    HAKBIET    TUBMAN.  15 

I  began  to  pray,  4  Oh  Lord,  if  you  ant  nebber 
gwine  to  change  clat  man's  heart,  kill  him,  Lord, 
MII'  take  him  out  ob  de  way.' 

"  Nex'  ting  I  heard  old  master  was  dead,  an'  he 
died  jus'  as  .he  libed.  Oh,  then,  it  'peared  like  I'd 
give  all  de  world  full  ob  gold,  if  I  had  it,  to  bring 
dat  poor  soul  back.  But  I  couldn't  pray  for  him 
no  longer." 

The  slaves  were  told  that  their  master's  will  pro- 
vided that  none  of  them  should  be  sold  out  of  the 
State.  This  satisfied  most  of  them,  and  they  were 
very  happy.  But  Harriet  was  not  satisfied ;  she 
never  closed  her  eyes  that  she  did  not  imagine  she 
saw  the  horsemen  coming,  and  heard  the  screams 
of  women  and  children,  as  they  were  being  dragged 
away  to  a  far  worse  slavery  than  that  they  were 
enduring  there.  Harriet  was  married  at  this  time 
to  a  free  negro,  who  not  only  did  not  trouble  him- 
self about  her  fears,  but  did  his  best  to  betray  her, 
and  bring  her  back  after  she  escaped.  She  would 
start  up  at  night  with  the  cry,  "  Oh,  dey're  comin', 
dey're  comin',  I  mus'  go  !  " 

Her  husband  called  her  a  fool,  and  said  she  was 
like  old  Cudjo,  who  when  a  joke  went  round,  never 
laughed  till  half  an  hour  after  everybody  else  got 
through,  and  so  just  as  all  danger  was  past  she  be- 


16  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

gan  to  be  frightened.  But  still  Harriet  in  fancy 
saw  the  horsemen  coming,  and  heard  the  screams 
of  terrified  women  and  children.  "And  all  that 
time,  in  my  dreams  and  visions,"  she  said,  "  I 
seemed  to  see  a  line,  and  on  the  other  side  of  that 
line  were  green  fields,  and  lovely  flowers,  and 
beautiful  white  ladies,  who  stretched  out  their  arms 
to  me  over  the  line,  but  I  couldn't  reach  them  no- 
how. I  always  fell  before  I  got  to  the  line." 

One  Saturday  it  was  whispered  in  the  quarters 
that  two  of  Harriet's  sisters  had  been  sent  off  with 
the  chain-gang.  That  morning  she  started,  having 
persuaded  three  of  her  brothers  to  accompany  her, 
but  they  had  not  gone  far  when  the  brothers,  ap- 
palled by  the  dangers  before  and  behind  them, 
determined  to  go  back,  and  in  spite  of  her  re- 
monstrances dragged  her  with  them.  In  fear  and 
terror,  she  remained  over  Sunday,  and  on  Monday 
night  a  negro  from  another  part  of  the  plantation 
came  privately  to  tell  Harriet  that  herself  and 
brothers  were  to  be  carried  off  that  night.  The 
poor  old  mother,  who  belonged  to  the  same  mis- 
tress, was  just  going  to  milk.  Harriet  wanted  to 
get  away  without  letting  her  know,  because  she 
knew  that  she  would  raise  an  uproar  and  prevent 
her  going,  or  insist  upon  going  with  her,  and  the 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  17 

time  for  this  was  not  yet.  But  she  must  give  some 
intimation  to  those  she  was  going  to  leave  of  her 
intention,  and  send  such  a  farewell  as  she  might  to 
the  friends  and  relations  on  the  plantation.  These 
communications  were  generally  made  by  singing. 
They  sang  as  they  walked  along  the  country  roads, 
and  the  chorus  was  taken  up  by  others,  and  the 
uninitiated  knew  not  the  hidden  meaning  of  the 
words — 

When  clat  ar  ole  chariot  comes, 

I'm  gwine  tolebe  you  ; 
I'm  boun'  for  de  promised  laud, 

I'm  gwine  to  lebe  you. 

These  words  meant  something  more  than  a- jour- 
ney to  the  Heavenly  Canaan.  Harriet  said,  "  Here, 
mother,  go  'long;  I'll  do  the  niilkin'  to-night  and 
bring  it  in."  The  old  woman  went  to  her  cabin. 
Harriet  took  down  her  sun-bonnet,  and  went  on 
to  the  "  big  house,"  where  some  of  her  relatives 
lived  as  house  servants.  She  thought  she  could 
trust  Mary,  but  there  were  others  in  the  kitchen, 
and  she  could  say  nothing.  Mary  began  to  frolic 
with  her.  She  threw  her  across  the  kitchen,  and 
ran  out,  knowing  that  Mary  would  follow  her. 
But  just  as  they  turned  the  corner  of  the  house,  the 
master  to  whom  Harriet  was  now  hired,  came  rid- 
ing up  on  his  horse.  Mary  darted  back,  and  Har- 


18  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

riot  thought  there  was  no  way  now  but  to  sing. 
But  "  the  Doctor,"  as  the  master  was  called,  was 
regarded  with  special  awe  by  his  slaves ;  if  they 
were  singing  or  talking  together  in  the  field,  or  on 
the  road,  and  "  the  Doctor  "  appeared,  all  was  hush- 
ed till  he  passed.  But  Harriet  had  no  time  for 
ceremony;  her  friends  must  have  a  warning  ;  and 
whether  the  Doctor  thought  her  "  imperent "  or 
not,  she  must  sing  him  farewell.  So  on  she- went  to 
meet  him,  singing : 

I'm  sorry  I'm  gwine  to  lebe  you, 

Farewell,  oh  farewell ; 
But  I'll  meet  you  in  the  mornin', 

Farewell,  oh  farewell. 

The  Doctor  passed,  and  she  bowed  as  she  went 
on,  still  singing  : 

I'll  meet  you  in  the  mornin', 

I'm  boun'  for  de  promised  land, 
On  the  oder  Bide  of  Jordan, 

Boun'  for  de  promised  land. 

She  reached  the  gate  and  looked  round;  the 
Doctor  had  stopped  his  horse,  and  had  turned 
around  in  the  saddle,  and  was  looking  at  her  as  if 
there  might  be  more  in  this  than  "  met  the  ear." 
Harriet  closed  the  gate,  went  on  a  little  way,  came 
back,  the  Doctor  still  gazing  at  her.  She  lifted  up 
the  gate  as  if  she  had  not  latched  it  properly, 
waved  her  hand  to  him.,  and  burst  out  again : 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAX.  19 

I'll  meet  you  in  the  morniiT, 
Safe  in  de  promised  land, 
On  the  oder  side  of  Jordan, 
Bonn1  for  de  promised  land. 

And  she  started  on  her  journey,  "  not  knowing 
whither  she  went,"  except  that  she  was  going  to 
follow  the  north  star,  till  it  led  her  to  liberty. 
Cautiously  and  by  night  she  traveled,  cunningly 
feeling  her  way,  and  finding  out  who  were  friends ; 
till  after  a  long  and  painful  journey  she  found,  in 
answer  to  careful  inquiries,  that  she  had  at  last 
crossed  tfcat  magic  "line"  which  then  separated 
the  land  of  bondage  from  the  land  of  freedom ;  for 
this  was  before  we  were  commanded  by  law  to 
take  part  in  the  iniquity  of  slavery,  and  aid  in 
taking  and  sending  back  those  poor  hunted  fugi- 
tives who  had  manhood  and  intelligence  enough 
to  enable  them  to  make  their  way  thus  far  towards 
freedom. 

"  When  I  found  I  had  crossed  dat  line?  she 
said,  "  I  looked  at  my  hands  to  see  if  I  was  de 
same  pusson.  There  was  such  a  glory  ober  ebery 
ting  ;  de  sun  came  like  gold  through  the  trees,  and 
ober  the  fields,  and  I  felt  like  I  was  in  Heaben." 

But  then  came  the  bitter  drop  in  the  cup  of  joy. 
fehe  said  she  felt  like  a  man  who  was  put  in  State 
Prison  for  twenty-five  years.  All  these  twenty- 


20  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

five  years  he  was  thinking  of  his  home,  and  long- 
ing for  the  time  when  he  would  see  it  again.  At 
last  the  day  comes — he  leaves  the  prison  gates — he 
makes  his  way  to  his  old  home,  but  his  old  home 
is  not  there.  The  house  has  been  pulled  down, 
and  a  new  one  has  been  put  up  in  its  place ;  his 
family  and  friends  are  gone  nobody  knows  where ; 
there  is  no  one  to  take  him  by  the  hand,  no  one  to 
welcome  him. 

"  So  it  was  with  me,"  she  said.  "  I  had  crossed 
the  line.  I  was/ree  /  but  there  was  no  one  to  wel- 
come me  to  the  land  of  freedom.  I  was  a  stranger 
in  a  strange  land ;  and  my  home,  after  all,  was  down 
in  Maryland;  because  my  father,  my  mother,  my 
brothers,  and  sisters,  and  friends  were  there.  But 
I  was  free,  and  they  should  be  free.  I  would 
make  a  home  in  the  North  and  bring  them  there, 
God  helping  me.  Oh,  how  I  prayed  then,"  she 
*aid  ;  "  I  said  to  de  Lord,  '  I'm  gwine  to  hole  stiddy 
on  to  you,  an'  I  know  you'll  see  me  through.' ': 

She  came  to  Philadelphia,  and  worked  in  hotels, 
in  club  houses,  and  afterwards  at  Cape  May. 
Whenever  she  had  raised  money  enough  to  pay 
expenses,  she  would  make  her  way  back,  hide  her- 
self, and  in  .various  ways  give  notice  to  those  who 
were  ready  to  strike  for  freedom.  When  her 


LIFE    OF    HAKKIET    TUJJMAS.  21 

party  was  made  up,  they  would  start  always  on 
Saturday  night,  because  advertisements  could  not 
be  sent  out  on  Sunday,  which  gave  them  one  day 
in  advance. 

Then  the  pursuers  would  start  after  them. 
Advertisements  would  be  posted  everywhere. 
There  was  one  reward  of  $12,000  offered  for  the 
head  of  the  woman  who  \vus  constantly  appearing 
and  enticing  away  parties  of  slaves  from  their 
master.  She  had  traveled  in  the  cars  when  these 
posters  were  put  up  over  her  head,  and  she  heard 
them  read  by  those  about  her — for  she  could  not 
read  herself.  Fearlessly  she  went  on,  trusting  in 
the  Lord.  She  said,  u  I  started  with  this  idea  in 
my  head,  '  Dere's  two  things  I've  got  a  riyht  to, 
and  dese  are.  Death  or  Liberty — one  or  tother  I 
mean  to  have.  No  one  will  take  me  back  alive  ;  I 
shall  fight  for  my  liberty,  and  when  de  time  has 
come  for  me  to  go,  de  Lord  will  let  dem  kill  me." 
And  acting  upon  this  simple  creed,  and  firm  in  this 
trusting  faith,  she  went  back  and  forth  nineteen 
times,  according  to  the  reckoning  of  her  friends. 
She  remembers  that  she  went  eleven  times  from 
Canada,  but  of  the  other  journeys  she  kept  no  reck- 
oning. 

While   Harriet  was  working  as  cook  in  one  of 


22  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

the  large  hotels  in  Philadelphia,  the  play  of  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin  "  was  being  performed  for  many  weeks 
every  night.  Some  of  her  fellow-servants  wanted 
her  to  go  and  see  it.  "No,"  said  Harriet,  " I  haint 
got  no  heart  to  go  and  see  the  sufferings  of  my  peo- 
ple played  011  de  stage.  I've  heard  '  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin '  read,  and  I  tell  you  Mrs  Stowe's  pen  hasn't 
begun  to  paint  what  slavery  is  as  I  have  seen  it  at 
the  far  South.  I've  seen  de  real  ting,  and  I  don't 
want  to  see  it  on  no  stage  or  in  no  teater." 

I  will  give  here  an  article  from  a  paper  published 
nearly  a  year  ago,  which  mentions  that  the  price 
set  upon  the  head  of  Harriet  was  much  higher  than 
I  have  stated  it  to  be.  When  asked  about  this, 
Harriet  said  she  did  not  know  whether  it  was  so, 
but  she  heard  them  read  from  one  paper  that  the 
reward  offered  was  $12,000. 

"  Among  American  women,"  says  the  article  re- 
ferred to,  "  who  has  shown  a  courage  and  self-devo- 
tion to  the  welfare  of  others,  equal  to  Harriet 
Tubman?  Hear  htr  story  of  going  down  again 
and  again  into  the  very  jaws  of  slavery,  to  rescue 
her  suffering  people,  .bringing  them  off  through 
perils  and  dangers  enough  to  appall  the  stoutest 
heart,  till  she  was  known  among  them  as  '  Moses.' 

"  Forty  thousand  dollars   was  not  too  great  a 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET   TUBMAN.  23 

reward  for  the  Maryland  slaveholders  to  offer  for 
her. 

"  Think  of  her  brave  spirit,  as  strong  as  Daniel's 
of  old,  in  its  fearless  purpose  to  serve  God,  even 
though  the  fiery  furnace  should  be  her  portion.  I 
have  looked  into  her  dark  face,  and  wondered  and 
admired  as  I  listened  to  the  thrilling  deeds  her  lion 
heart  had  prompted  her  to  dare.  'I  have  heard 
their  groans  and  sighs,  and  seen  their  tears,  and  I 
would  give  every  drop  of  blood  in  my  veins  to  free 
them,'  she  said. 

"  The  other  day,  at  Gerrit  Smith's,  I  saw  this  he- 
roic woman,  whom  the  pen  of  genius  will  yet  make 
famous,  as  one  of  the  noblest  Christian  hearts  ever 
inspired  to  lift  the  burdens  of  the  wronged  and  op- 
pressed, and  what  do  you  think  she  said  to  me  ?  She 
had  been  tending  and  caring  for  our  Union  black* 
(and  white)  soldiers  in  hospital  during  the  war, 
and  at  the  end  of  her  labors  was  on  her  way  home, 
coming  in  a  car  through  New  Jersey.  A  white  man, 
the  conductor,  thrust  her  out  of  the  car  with  such 
violence  that  she  has  not  been  able  to  work  scarcely 
any  since ;  and  as  she  told  me  of  the  pain  she  had 
and  still  suffered,  she  said  she  did  not  know  what 
she  should  have  done  for  herself,  and  the  old  father 
and  mother  she  takes  care  of,  if  Mr.  Wendell 


24- 


SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 


Phillips  had  not  sent  her  $00,  that  kept  them  warm 
through  the  winter.  She  had  a  letter  from  W.  II. 
Seward  to  Maj.-Gen.  Hunter,  in  which  he  says,  '  I 
have  known  her  long,  and  a  nobler,  higher  spirit, 
or  truer,  seldom  dwells  in  the  human  form.' " 

It  will  be  impossible  to  give  any  connected  ac- 
count of  the  different  journeys  taken  by  Harriet  for 
the  rescue  of  her  people,  as  she  herself  has  no  idea 
of  the  dates  connected  with  them,  or  of  the  order 
in  which  they  were  made.  She  thinks  she  was 
about  25  when  she  made  her  own  escape,  and  this 
was  in  the  last  year  of  James  K.  Folk's  administra- 
tion. From  that  time  till  the  be^innin^  of  the  war 

O  O 

her  years  were  spent  in  these  journeyings  back  and 
forth,  with  intervals  between,  in  which  she  worked 
only  to  spend  the  avails  of  her  labor  in  providing 
"for  the  wants  of  her  pext  party  of  fugitives.  By 
night  she  traveled,  many  times  on  foot,  over  moun- 
tains, through  forests,  across  rivers,  mid  perils  by 
land,  perils  by  water,  perils  from  enemies,  "  perils 
among  false  brethren."  Sometimes  members  of 
her  party  would  become  exhausted,  foot-sore,  and 
bleeding,  and  declare  they  could  not  go  on,  they 
must  stay  where  they  dropped  down,  and  die ; 
others  would  think  a  voluntary  return  to  slavery 
better  than  being  overtaken  and  carried  back,  and 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAX.  25 

would  insist  upon  returning ;  then  there  was  no 
remedy  but  force  ;  the  revolver  carried  by  this  bold 
and  daring  pioneer  would  be  pointed  at  their 
heads.  "  Dead  niggers  tell  no  tales,"  said  Harriet ; 
"Go  on  or  die;"  and  so  she  compelled  them  to 
drag  their  weary  limbs  on  their  northward  journey. 

At  one  time  she  collected  and  sent  on  a  gang  of 
thirty-nine  fugitives  in  the  care  of  others,  as  from 
some  cause  she  was  prevented  from  accompanying 
them.  Sometimes,  when  she  and  her  party  were 
concealed  in  the  woods,  they  saw  their  pursuers 
pass,  on  their  horses,  down  the  high  road,  tacking 
up  the  advertisements  for  them  on  the  fences  and 
trees. 

"  And  den  how  we  laughed,"  said  she.  "  We 
was  de  fools,  and  dey  was  de  wise  men ;  but  we 
wasn't  fools  enough  to  go  down  de  high  road  in  de 
broad  daylight."  At  one  time  she  left  her  party  in 
the  woods,  and  went  by  a  lon^  and  roundabout 
way  to  one  of  the  "  stations  of  the  Underground 
Railway,"  as  she  called  them.  Here  she  procured 
food  for  her  famished  party,  often  paying  out  of  her 
hardly-gained  earnings,  five  dollars  a  day  for  food 
for  them.  But  she  dared  not  go  back  to  them  till 
night,  for  'fear  of  being  watched,  and  thus  reveal- 
ing their  hiding-place.  After  nightfall,  the  sound 


26  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

of  a  hymn  sung  at  a  distance  comes  upon  the  ears 
of  the  concealed  and  famished  fugitives  in  the 
woods,  and  they  know  that  their  deliverer  is  at 
hand.  They  listen  eagerly  for  the  words  she  sings, 
for  by  them  they  are  to  be  warned  of  danger,  or 
informed  of  safety.  Nearer  and  nearer  comes  the 
unseen  singer,  and  the  words  are  wafted  to  their 
ears: 

Hail,  oh  hail  ye  happy  spirits, 

Death  no  more  shall  make  you  fear, 
No  grief  nor  sorrow,  pain  nor  anger  (anguish) 

Shall  no  more  distress  you  there. 

Around  him  are  ten  thousan'  angels, 

Always  ready  to  'bey  comman'. 
*Dey  are  always  hobring  round  you, 
Till  you  reach  the  hebbenly  Ian'. 

Jesus,  Jesus  will  go  wid  you  ; 

He  will  lead  you  to  his  throne  ; 
He  who  died  has  gone  before  you, 

Trod  de  wine-press  all  alone. 

He  whose  thunders  shake  creation ; 

He  who  bids  the  planets  roll ; 
He  who  rides  upon  the  temple,  (tempest) 

An'  his  scepter  sways  de  whole. 

Dark  and  thorny  is  de  desert, 

Through  de  pilgrim  makes  his  ways, 
Yet  beyon'  dis  vale  of  sorrow, 

Lies  de  fiel's  of  endless  days. 

I  give  these  words  exactly  as  Harriet  sang  them 
to  me  to  a  sweet  and  simple  Methodist  air.  "  De 
first  time  I  go  by  singing  dis  hymn,  dey  don't  come 
out  to  me,"  she  said,  "  till  I  listen  if  de  coast  is 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN. 


27 


clar  ;  den  when  I  go  back  and  sing  it  again,  dey 
come  out.  But  if  I  sing : 

Moses  go  clown  in  Egypt, 

Till  ole  Pharo'  let  me  go ; 
Hadn't  been  for  Adam's  fall, 

Shouldn't  hab  to  died  at  all, 

den  dey  don't  come  out,  for  dere's  danger  in  de 
way." 

And  so  by  night  travel,  by  hiding,  by  signals, 
by  threatening,  she  brought  the  people  safely  to 
the  land  of  liberty.  But  after  the  passage  of  the 
Fugitive  Slave  law,  she  said,  "  I  wouldn't  trust  Un- 
cle Sam  wid  my  people  no  longer ;  I  brought  'em 
all  clar  off  to  Canada." 

Of  the  very  many  interesting  stories  told  me  by 
Harriet,  I  cannot  refrain  from  telling  to  my  read- 
ers that  of  Joe,  who  accompanied  her  upon  her  sev- 
enth or  eighth  journey  from  Maryland  to  Canada. 

Joe  was  a  noble  specimen  of  a  negro,  and  was 
hired  out  by  his  master  to  a  man  for  whom  he  work- 
ed faithfully  for  six  years,  saving  him  the  expense  of 
an  overseer,  and  taking  all  trouble  off  his  hands.  At 
length  this  man  found  him  so  absolutely  necessary 
to  him,  that  he  determined  to  buy  him  at  any  cost. 
His  master  held  him  proportionably  high.  How- 
ever, by  paying  a  thousand  dollars  down  for  him, 
and  promising  to  pay  another  thousand  in  a  cer- 


28  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

tain  time,  Joe  passed  into  the  hands  of  his  new 
master. 

As  may  be  imagined,  Joe  was  somewhat  surprised 
when  the  first  order  issued  from  his  master's  lips, 
was,  "  Now,  Joe,  strip  and  take  a  whipping  ! " 
Joe's  experience  of  whippings,  as  he  had  seen  them 
inflicted  upon  others,  was  not  such  as  to  cause  him 
particularly  to  desire  to  go  through  the  same  ope- 
ration on  his  own  account ;  and  he,  naturally 
enough,  demurred,  and  at  first  thought  of  resisting. 
But  he  called  to  mind  a  scene  which  he  had  wit- 
nessed a  few  days  before,  in  the  field,  the  particu- 
lars of  which  are  too  horrible  and  too  harassing 
to  the  feelings  to  be  given  to  my  readers,  and  he 
thought  it  best  to  submit ;  but  first  he  tried  remon- 
strance. 

"  Mas'r,"  said  he,  "  habn't  I  always  been  faith- 
ful to  you?  Habn't  I  worked  through  sun  an' 
rain,  early  in  de  mornin',  and  late  at  night ;  habn't 
I  saved  you  an  oberseer  by  doin'  his  work ;  hab 
you  any  ting  to  complain  of  agin  me  ?  " 

"  No,  Joe  ;  "  I've  no  complaint  to  make  of  you  ; 
you're  a  good  nigger,  and  you've  always  worked 
well ;  but  the  first  lesson  my  niggers  have  to  learn 
is  that  I  am  master^  and  that  they  are  not  to  resist 
or  refuse  to  obey  anything  I  tell  'em  to  do.  So 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAK.  29 

the  first  thing  they've  got  to  do,  is  to  be  whipped ; 
if  they  resist,  they  get  it  all  the  harder ;  and  so 
I'll  go  on,  till  I  kill  'em,  but  they've  got  to  give  up 
at  last,  and  learn  that  I'm  master." 

Joe  thought  it  best  to  submit.  He  stripped  off 
his  upper  clothing,  and  took  his  whipping  without 
a  word ;  but  as  he  drew  his  clothes  up  over  his 
torn  and  bleeding  back,  he  said,  "  Dis  is  de  last ! " 
That  night  he  took  a  boat  and  went  a  long  dis- 
tance to  the  cabin  of  Harriet's  father,  and  said, 
"  Next  time  Moses  comes,  let  me  know."  It  was 
only  a  week  or  two  after  that,  that  the  mysterious 
woman  whom  no  one  could  lay  their  finger  on  ap- 
peared, and  men,  women,  and  children  began  to 
disappear  from  the  plantations.  One  fine  morning 
Joe  wras  missing,  and  his  brother  William,  from 
another  plantation ;  Peter  and  Eliza,  too,  were  gone ; 
and  these  made  part  of  Harriet's  next  party,  who 
began  their  pilgrimage  from  Maryland  to  Canada, 
or  as  they  expressed  it,  from  "  Egypt  to  de  land  of 
Canaan." 

Their  adventures  were  enough  to  fill  a  volume ; 
they  were  pursued  ;  they  were  hidden  in  "  potato 
holes,"  while  their  pursuers  passed  within  a  few 
feet  of  them ;  they  were  passed  along  by  friends  in 
various  disguises  ;  they  scattered  and  separated,  to 


30  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

be  led  by  guides  by  a  roundabout  way,  to  a  meet- 
ing-place again.  They  were  taken  in  by  Sana 
Green,  the  man  who  was  afterwards  sent  to  State 
Prison  for  ten  years  for  having  a  copy  of  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin  "  in  his  house ;  and  so,  hunted  and 
hiding  and  wandering,  they  came  at  last  to  the 
long  bridge  at  the  entrance  of  the  city  of  Wil- 
mington, Delaware.  The  rewards  posted  up 
everywhere  had  been  at  first  five  hundred  dollars  for 
Joe,  if  taken  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States  ; 
then  a  thousand,  and  then  fifteen  hundred  dollars, 
"  an'  all  expenses  clar  an'  clean,  for  his  body  in 
Easton  Jail."  Eight  hundred  for  William,  and  four 
hundred  for  Peter,  and  twelve  thousand  for  the 
woman  who  enticed  them  away.  The  long  Wil- 
mington Bridge  was  guarded  by  police  officers, 
and  the  advertisements  were  everywhere.  The 
party  were  scattered,  and  taken  to  the  houses 
of  different  colored  friends,  and  word  was  sent 
secretly  to  Thomas  Garrett,  of  Wilmington,  of 
their  condition,  and  the  necessity  of  their  being 
taken  across  the  bridge.  Thomas  Garrett  is  a  Qua- 
ker, and  a  man  of  a  wonderfully  large  and  generous 
heart,  through  whose  hands,  Harriet  tells  me,  two 
thousand  self-emancipated  slaves  passed  on  their 
way  to  freedom.  He  was  always  ready,  heart  and 


LIFE   OF    HAUEIET   TUBMAN.  31 

hand  and  means,  in  aiding  these  poor  fugitives, 
and  rendered  most  efficient  help  to  Harriet  on 
many  of  her  journeys  back  and  forth.  A  letter 
received  a  few  days  since  by  the  writer,  from 
this  noble-hearted  philanthropist,  will  be  given 
presently. 

As  soon  as  Thomas  Garrett  heard  of  the  condi- 
tion of  these  poor  people,  his  plan  was  formed. 
He  engaged  two  wagons,  filled  them  with  brick- 
layers, whom  of  course  he  paid  well  for  their  share 
in  the  enterprise,  and  sent  them  across  the  bridge. 
They  went  as  if  on  a  frolic,  singing  and  shouting. 
The  guards  saw  them  pass,  and  of  course  expected 
them  to  re-cross  the  bridge.  After  nightfall  (and 
fortunately  it  was  a  dark  night)  the  same  wagons 
went  back,  but  with  an  addition  to  their  party. 
The  fugitives  were  on  the  bottom  of  the  wagons, 
the  bricklayers  on  the  seats,  still  singing  and 
shouting ;  and  so  they  passed  by  the  guards,  who 
were  entirely  unsuspicious  of  the  nature  of  the 
load  the  wagons  contained,  or  of  the  amount  of 
property  thus  escaping  their  hands.  And  so  they 
made  their  way  to  New  York.  When  they  entered 
the  anti-slavery  office  there,  Joe  was  recognized  at 
once  by  the  description  in  the  advertisement. 
"Well,"  said  Mr.  Oliver  Johnson,  "I  am  glad  to 


32  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

see  the  man  whose  head  is  worth  fifteen  hundred 
dollars."  At  this  Joe's  heart  sank.  If  the  adver- 
tisement had  got  to  New  York,  that  place  which  ii 
had  taken  them  so  many  days  and  nights  to  reach, 
lie  thought  he  was  in  danger  still.  a  And  how  far 
is  it  now  to  Canada  ?  "  he  asked.  When  told  how 
many  miles,  for  they  were  to  come  through  Xew 
York  State,  and  cross  the  Suspension  Bridge,  he  was 
ready  to  give  up.  "  From  dat  time  Joe  was  silent," 
said  Harriet ;  "  he  sang  no  more,  he  talked  :io 
more  ;  he  sat  wid  his  head  on  his  hand,  and  nobody 
could  'muse  him  or  make  him  take  any  interest  in 
anyting."  They  passed  along  in  safety,  and  at 
length  found  themselves  in  the  cars,  approach- 
ing Suspension  Bridge.  The  rest  were  very 
joyous  and  happy,  "but  Joe  sat  silent  and  sad. 
Their  fellow-passengers  all  seemed  interested  in 
and  for  them,  and  listened  with  tears,  as  Harriet 
and  all  their  party  lifted  up  their  voices  and 
sang : 

I'm  on  ray  way  to  Canada, 

That  cold  and  dreary  land ; 
The  sad  effects  of  slavery, 

I  can't  no  longer  stand. 
I've  served  my  master  all  my  day?, 

Widout  a  dime's  reward ; 
And  now  I'm  forced  to  run  away, 

To  floe  the  lash  abroad. 
Farewell,  ole  master,  don't  think  hard  of  me, 
I'll  travel  on  to  Canada,  where  all  the  slaves  are  free. 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  'A3 

The  hounds  are  baying  on  my  track, 

Ole  master  comes  behind. 
Resolved  that  he  will  bring  me  back, 

Before  I  cross  de  line  ; 
I'm  now  embarked  for  yonder  shore, 

There  a  man's  a  man  by  law ; 
The  iron  horse  will  bear  me  o'er, 

To  shake  de  lion's  paw. 
Oh,  righteous  Father,  wilt  thou  not  pity  me, 
And  aid  me  on  to  Canada  where  all  the  slaves  are  free. 

Oh,  I  heard  Queen  Victoria  say, 

That  if  we  would  forsake 
Our  native  land  of  slavery, 

And  come  across  the  lake  ; 
That  she  was  standin'  on  de  shore, 

Wid  arms  extended  wide, 
To  give  us  all  a  peaceful  home 

Beyond  de  rolling  tide. 
Farewell,  ole  master,  etc. 

The  cars  began  to  cross  the  bridge.     Harriet 
was  very  anxious  to  have  her  companions  see  the 
Falls.     William,  Peter,  and  Eliza  came  eagerly  to 
look  at  the  wonderful  sight;  but  Joe  sat  still,  with, 
his  head  upon  his  hand. 

"  Joe,  <-<-n  e  look  at  de  Falls  !  Joe,  you  fool  you, 
come  see  de  Falls  !  its  your  last  chance."  But  Joe 
sat  still  and  never  raised  his  head.  At  length  Har- 
riet knew  by  the  rise  in  the  center  of  the  bridge, 
and  the  descent  on  the  other  sid^  that  they  had 
crossed  "  the  line."  She  sprang  across  to  Joe's 
seat,  shook  him  with  all  her  might,  and  shouted, 
"  Joe,  you've  shook  de  lion's  paw  !  "  Joe  did  not 
know  what  she  meant.  "  Joe,  you're  free  !  "  shout- 


34:  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

ed  Harriet.  Then  Joe's  head  went  up,  he  raised 
his  hands  on  high,  and  his  face,  streaming  with 
tears,  to  heaven,  and  broke  out  in  loud  and  thrill- 
ing tones: 

"  Glory  to  God  and  Jesus  too, 

One  more  soul  is  safe  ! 
Oh,  go  and  carry  de  news, 
One  more  soul  got  safe." 

"  Joe,  come  and  look  at  de  Falls  !  "  called  Har- 
riet. 

"  Glory  to  God  and  Jesus  too, 
One  more  soul  got  safe." 

was  all  the  answer.  The  cars  stopped  on  the  other 
side.  Joe's  feet  were  the  first  to  touch  British  soil, 
after  those  of  the  conductor. 

Loud  roared  the  waters  of  Niagara,  but  louder 
still  ascended  the  anthem  of  praise  from  the  over- 
flowing heart  of  the  freeman.  And  can  we  doubt 
that  the  strain  was  taken  up  by  angel  voices,  and 
that  through  the  arches  of  Heaven  echoed  and  re- 
echoed the  strain : 

Glory  to  God  in  the  Highest, 
Glory  to  God  and  Jesus  too, 
One  more  soul  is  safe. 

"  The  ladies  and  gentlemen  gathered  round  him," 
said  Harriet,  "  till  I  couldn't  see  Joe  for  the  crowd, 
only  I  heard  '  Glory  to  God  and  Jesus  too  ! '  louder 
than  ever."  William  went  after  him,  and  pulled 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  35 

him,  saying,  "  Joe,  stop  your  noise  !  you  act  like 
a  fool ! '  Then  Peter  ran  in  and  jerked  him  mos' 
off  his  feet, — "  Joe,  stop  your  hollerin' !  Folks  '11 
think  you're  crazy !  "  But  Joe  gave  no  heed. 
The  ladies  were  crying,  and  the  tears  like  rain  ran 
down  Joe's  sable  cheeks.  A  lady  reached  over 
her  fine  cambric  handkerchief  to  him.  Joe  wiped 
his  face,  and  then  he  spoke. 

"  Oh  !  if  I'd  felt  like  dis  down  South,  it  would 
hab  taken  nine  men  to  take  me ;  only  one  more 
journey  for  me  now,  and  dat  is  to  Hebben ! " 
"  Well,  you  ole  fool  you,"  said  Harriet,  with  whom 
there  seems  but  one  step  from  the  sublime  to  the 
ridiculous,  "  you  might  a'  looked  at  de  Falls  fust, 
and  den  gone  to  Hebben  afterwards."  She  has 
seen  Joe  several  times  since,  a  happy  and  industri- 
ous freeman  in  Canada. 

When  asked,  as  she  often  is,  how  it  was  possible 
that  she  was  not  afraid  to  go  back,  with  that  tre- 
mendous price  upon  her  head,  Harriet  always  an- 
swers, "  Why,  don't  I  tell  you,  Missus,  t'wan't  me, 
'twas  de  Lord  !  I  always  tole  him, '  I  trust  to  you. 
I  don't  know  where  to  go  or  what  to  do,  but  I  ex- 
pect you  to  lead  me,'  an'  he  always  did."  At  one 
time  she  was  going  down,  watched  for  everywhere, 
after  there  had  been  a  meeting  of  slaveholders  in 


36  SOME    SCENES    IN    TIIK 

the  court-house  of  one  of  the  large  cities  of  Mary- 
land, and  an  added  reward  had  been  put  upon  her 
head,  with  various  threats  of  the  different  cruel  de- 
vices by  which  she  should  be  tortured  and  put  to 
death ;  friends  gathered  round  her,  imploring  her 
not  to  go  on  directly  in  the  face  of  danger  and 
death,  and  this  was  Harriet's  answer  to  them  : 

"  Now  look  yer!  John  saw  the  city,  didn't  he? 
Yes,  John  saw  the  city.  Well,  what  did  he 
see?  He  saw  twelve  gates — three  of  dose  gates 
was  on  de  north — three  of  'em  was  on  de  east — 
and  three  of  'em  was  on  de  west — but  dere  was 
three  of  'em  on  de  South  too ;  an'  I  reckon  if  dey 
kill  me  down  dere,  I'll  o-it  into  one  of  dem  <rates, 

7  <T>  O 

don't  you  ?  " 

Whether  Harriet's  ideas  of  the  geographical 
bearings  of  the  gates  of  the  Celestial  City,  as  seen 
in  the  Apocalyptic  vision,  were  correct  or  not,  we 
cannot  doubt  that  she  was  right  in  the  deduction  her 
faith  drew  from  them ;  and  that  somewhere,  whether 
north,  south,  east,  or  west,  to  our  dim  vision, 
there  is  a  gate  to  be  opened  for  Harriet,  where  the 
welcome  will  be  given,  "  Come  in  thou  blessed  of 
my  Father/' 

Many  of  the  stories  told  me  by  Harriet,  in  an- 
swer to  questions,  have  been  corroborated  by  let- 


LIFI-:    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  37 

ters,  some  of  which  will  appear  in  this  book.  Of 
others,  I  have  not  been  able  to  procure  confirma- 
tion, owing  to  ignorance,  of  the  address  of  those 
conversant  with  the  facts.  I  find  among  her  pa- 
pers, many  of  which  are  defaced  by  being  carried 
about  with  her  for  years,  portions  of  letters  ad- 
dressed to  myself,  by  persons  at  the  South,  and 
speaking  of  the  valuable  assistance  Harriet  was 
rendering  our  soldiers  in  the  hospital,  and  our 
armies  in  the  field.  At  this  time  her  manner  of 
life,  as  related  by  herself,  was  this  : 

"  Well,  Missus,  I'd  go  to  de  hospital,  I  would, 
early  eb'ry  mornin'.  I'd  get  a  big  chunk  of  ice,  I 
would,  and  put  it  in  a  basin,  and  fill  it  with  water; 
den  I'd  take  a  sponge  and  begin.  Fust  man  I'd 
come  to,  I'd  thrash  away  de  flics,  an'  dey'd  rise, 
dey  would,  like  bees  roun'  a  hive.  Den  I'd  begin 
to  bathe  der  wounds,  an'  by  de  time  I'd  bathed  off 
three  or  four,  de  fire  and  heat  would  have  melted 
de  ice  and  made  de  water  warm,  an'  it  would  be  as 
red  as  clar  blood.  Den  I'd  go  an'  git  more  ice,  I 
would,  an'  by  de  time  I  got  to  de  nex'  ones,  de 
flies  would  be  roun'  de  fust  ones  black  an'  thick  as 
eber."  In  this  way  she  worked,  day  after  day, 
till  late  at  night;  then  she  went  home  to  her 
little  cabin,  and  made,  about  fifty  pies,  a  great 


38  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

quantity  of  ginger-bread,  and  two  casks  of  root 
beer.  These  she  would  hire  some  contraband  to 
sell  for  her  through  the  camps,  and  thus  she  would 
provide  her  support  for  another  day ;  for  this 
woman  never  received  pay  or  pension,  and  never 
drew  for  herself  but  twenty  days'  rations  during 
the  four  years  of  her  labors.  At  one  time  she  was 
called  away  from  Hilton  Head,  by  one  of  our  offi- 
cers, to  come  to  Fernandina,  where  the  men  were 
"  dying  off  like  sheep,"  from  dysentery.  Harriet 
had  acquired  quite  a  reputation  for  her  skill  in 
curing  this  disease,  by  a  medicine  which  she  pre- 
pared from  roots  which  grew  near  the  waters 
which  gave  the  disease.  Here  she  found  thou- 
sands of  sick  soldiers  and  contrabands,  and  imme- 
diately gave  up  her  time  and  attention  to  them. 
At  another  time,  we  find  her  nursing  those  who 
were  down  by  hundreds  with  small-pox  and  ma- 
lignant fevers.  She  had  never  had  these  diseases, 
but  she  seems  to  have  no  more  fear  of  death  in 
one  form  than  another.  "  De  Lord  would  take 
keer  of  her  till  her  time  came,  an'  den  she  was 
ready  to  go." 

S  When  our  armies  and  gun-boats  first  appeared 
in  any  part  of  the  South,  many  of  the  poor  negroes 
were  as  much  afraid  of  "  de  Yankee  Buckra  "  as  of 


LIFE    OF    HAKRIET   TUBMAN.  39 

their  own  masters.  It  was  almost  impossible  to  win 
their  confidence,  or  to  get  information  from  them. 
But  to  Harriet  they  would  tell  anything ;  and  so  it 
became  quite  important  that  she  should  accompany 
expeditions  going  up  the  rivers,  or  into  unexplored 
parts  of  the  country,  to  control  and  get  information 
from  those  whom  they  took  with  them  as  guides. 

Gen.  Hunter  asked  her  at  one  time  if  she  would 
go  with  several  gun-boats  up  the  Combahee  River, 
the  object  of  the  expedition  being  to  take  up  the 
torpedoes  placed  by  the  rebels  in  the  river,  to  de- 
stroy railroads  and  bridges,  and  to  cut  off  supplies 
from  the  rebel  troops.  She  said  she  would  go  if 
Col.  Montgomery  was  to  be  appointed  commander 
of  the  expedition.  Col.  Montgomery  was  one  of 
John  Brown's  men,  and  was  well  known  to  Harriet. 
Accordingly,  Col.  Montgomery  was  appointed  to 
the  command,  and  Harriet,  with  several  men  un- 
der her,  the  principal  of  whom  was  J.  Plowden, 
whose  pass  I  have,  accompanied  the  expedition. 
Harriet  describes  in  the  most  graphic  manner  the 
appearance  of  the  plantations  as  they  passed  up 
the  river ;  the  frightened  negroes  leaving  their  work 
and  taking  to  the  woods,  at  sight  of  the  gun-boats ; 
then  coming  to  peer  out  like  startled  deer,  and 
scudding  away  like  the  wind  at  the  sound  of  the 


40  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

steam-whistle.  "  Well,"  said  one  old  negro,  "  Mas'r 
said  de  Yankees  had  horns  and  tails,  but  I  nebber 
beliebed  it  till  now."  But  the  word  was  passed 
along  by  the  mysterious  telegraphic  communication 
existing  among  these  simple  people,  that  these  were 
"  Lincoln's  gun-boats  come  to  set  them  free."  In 
vain,  then,  the  drivers  used  their  whips,  in  their  ef- 
forts to  hurry  the  poor  creatures  back  to  their  quar- 
ters ;  they  all  turned  and  ran  for  the  gun-boats. 
They  came  down  every  road,  across  every  field, 
just  as  they  had  left  their  work  and  their  cabins; 
women  with  children  clinging  around  their  necks, 
hanging  to  their  dresses,  running  behind,  all  mak- 
ing at  full  speed  for  "  Lincoln's  gun-boats."  Eight 
hundred  poor  wretches  at  one  time  crowded  the 
banks,  with  their  hands  extended  towards  their  de- 
liverers, and  they  were  all  taken  off  upon  the  gun- 
boats, and  carried  down  to  Beaufort. 

"  I  nebber  see  such  a  sight,"  said  Harriet ;  we 
laughed,  an'  laughed,  an'  laughed.  Here  you'd  see 
a  woman  wid  a  pail  on  her  head,  rice  a  smokin'  in 
it  jus  as  she'd  taken  it  from  de  fire,  young  one  hang- 
in'  on  behind,  one  han'  roun'  her  forehead  to  hold 
on,  'tother  han'  diggin'  into  de  rice-pot,  eatin'  wid 
all  its  might ;  hold  of  her  dress  two  or  three  more ; 
down  her  back  a  bag  wid  a  pig  in  it.  One  woman 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAJNT.  41 

brought  two  pip;?,  a  white  one,  an'  a  black  one; 
we  took  'em  all  on  board ;  named  de  white  ] ng 
Beaurcgard,  an1  de  black  pig  Jeff  Davis.  Some- 
times de  women  would  come  wid  twins  lian<nn' 

O 

roun'  der  necks;  'pears  like  I  nebbcr  see  so  many 
twins  in  my  life;  bags  on  der  shoulders, baskets  on 
der  heads,  and  young  ones  taggin'  behin',  all  loaded  ; 
pigs  squealin",  chickens  screamin',  young  ones  squal- 
lin'."  And  so  they  came  pouring  down  to  the  gun- 
boats. When  they  stood  on  the  shore,  and  the  small 
boats  put  out  to  take  them  off,  they  all  wanted  to 
get  in  at  once.  After  the  boats  were  crowded,  they 
would  hold  on  to  them  so  that  they  could  not  leave 
the  shore.  The  oarsmen  would  beat  them  on  their 
hands,  but  they  would  not  let  go;  they  were  afraid 
the  gun-boats  would  go  off  and  leave  them,  and  all 
wanted  to  make  sure  of  one  of  these  arks  of  ref- 
uge. At  length  Col.  Montgomery  shouted  from 
the  upper  deck,  above  the  clamor  of  appealing 
tones,  "Moses,  you'll  have  to  give  'em  a  song." 
Then  Harriet  lifted  up  her  voice  aijd  sang : 

"  Of  all  the  whole  creation  in  the  east  <&  in  the  west, 
The  glorious  Yankee  nation  is  the  'greatest  and  the  best. 
Come  along  !    Come  along !  don't  be  alarmed, 
Uncle  Sam  is  rich  enough  to  give  yon  all  a  farm.'1 

At   the  end  of  every  verse,  the  negroes  in  their 
enthusiasm  would  throw  up  their  hands  and  shout 


42  SOME    SCENES    IN   THE 

"  Glory,"  and  the  row-boats  would  take  that  op- 
portunity to  push  off;  and  so  at  last  they  were  all 
brought  on  board.  The  masters  fled  ;  houses  and 
barns  and  railroad  bridges  were  burned,  t*acks 
torn  up,  torpedoes  destroyed,  and  the  expedition 
was  in  all  respects  successful. 

This  fearless  woman  was  often  sent  into  the  rebel 
lines  as  a  spy,  and  brought  back  valuable  informa- 
tion as  to  the  position  of  armies  and  batteries ; 
she  has  been  in  battle  when  the  shot  was  falling- 
like  hail,  and  the  bodies  of  dead  and  wounded  men 
were  dropping  around  her  like  leaves  in  autumn ; 
but  the  thought  of  fear  never  seems  to  have  had 
place  for  a  moment  in  her  mind.  She  had  her  duty 
to  perform,  and  she  expected  to  be  taken  care  of 
till  it  was  done. 

Would  that  instead  of  taking  them  in  this  poor 
way  at  second-hand,  my  readers  could  hear  this 
woman's  graphic  accounts  of  scenes  she  herself 
witnessed,,  could  listen  to  her  imitations  of  negro 
preachers  in  their  own  very  peculiar  dialect,  her 
singing  of  camp-meeting  hymns,  her  account  of 
"  experience  meetings,"  her  imitations  of  the  dances, 
and  the  funeral  ceremonies  of  these  simple  people. 
"  Why,  dcr  language  down  dar  in  de  far  South  is 
jus'  as  different  from  ours  in  Maryland,  as  you  can 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET   TUBMAN. 

think,"  said  she.  "  Dey  laughed  when  dey  heard  me 
talk,  an'  I  could  not  understand  dem,  no  how." 
She  described  a  midnight  funeral  which  she  at- 
tended ;  for  the  slaves,  never  having  been  allowed 
to  bury  their  dead  in  the  day  time,  continued  the 
custom  of  night  funerals  from  habit. 

The  corpse  was  laid  upon  the  ground,  and  the 
people  all  sat  round,  the  group  being  lighted  up 
by  pine  torches. 

The  old  negro  preacher  began  by  giving  out  a 
hymn,  which  was  sung  by  all.  "An'  oh  !  I  wish 
you  could  hear  'em  sing,  Missus,"  said  Harriet. 
"  Der  voices  is  so  sweet,  and  dey  can  sing  eberyting 
we  sing,  an'  den  dey  can  sing  a  great  many  hymns 
dat  we  can't  nebber  catch  at  all." 

The  old  preacher  began  his  sermon  by  pointing 
to  the  dead  man,  who  lay  in  a  rude  box  on  the 
ground  before  him. 

"Shum?  Ded-a-de-dah !  Shum,  David?  Ded- 
a-de-dah  !  Now  I  want  you  all  to  flee*  for  moment. 
Who  ob  all  dis  congregation  is  gwine  next  to  lie 
ded-a-de-dah  ?  You  can't  go  nowheres,  my  frien's 
and  bredren,  but  Deff  '11  fin'  you.  You  can't  dig 
no  hole  so  deep  an'  bury  yourself  dar.  but  God 
A'mighty's  far-seein'  eye  '11  fine  you,  an'  Deff  '11 
come  arter  you.  You  can't  go  into  that  big  fort 


44  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

(pointing  to  Hilton  Head),  an'  shut  yourself  up  dar ; 
dat  fort  dat  Sesh  Buckner  said  de  debil  couldn't 
take,  l)ut  I)eff  '11  fin'  you  dar.  All  your  frien's  may 
forget  you,  but  Deff  '11  nebber  forget  you.  Now, 
my  bredren,  prepare  to  lie  ded-a-de-dah  !" 

This  was  the  burden  of  a  very  long  sermon,  after 
which  the  whole  congregation  went  round  in  a  soil 
of  solemn  dance,  called  the  "  spiritual  shuffle," 
shaking  hands  with  each  other,  and  calling  each 
other  by  name  as  they  sang  : 

My  sis'r  Mary  's  bouiv  to  go  ; 
My  sip'r  Nanny  's  boun'  to  go  ; 
My  brudder  Tony  's  boun'  to  go  ; 
My  bradder  July  's  boun'  to  go. 

This  to  the  same  tune,  till  every  hand  had  been 
shaken  by  every  one  of  the  company.  When  they 
came  to  Harriet,  who  was  a  stranger,  they  sang : 

Eberybody  's  boun'  to  go  ! 

The  body  was  then  placed  in  a  Government  wagon, 
and  by  the  light  of  the  pine  torches,  the  strange, 
dark  procession  moved  along,  singing  a  rude  fune- 
ral hymn,  till  they  reached  the  place  of  burial. 

Harriet's  account  of  her  interview  with  an  old 
negro  she  met  at  Hilton  Head,  is  amusing  and 
interesting.  He  said,  "  I'd  been  yere  seventy- 
three  years,  workin'  for  my  master  widout  even  a 


LIFE    OF    IIAKIilET    TUBMAN.  45 

dime  wages.  I'd  worked  rain-wet  sun  dry.  I'd 
worked  wid  my  mouf  full  of  dust,  but  would  not 
stop  to  get  a  drink  of  water.  I'd  been  whipped, 
an'  starved,  an'  I  was  always  prayin',  '  Oh !  Lord, 
come  an'  delibber  us  ! '  All  dat  time  de  birds  had 
been  flyin',  an'  de  rabens  had  been  cryin',  and  de 
fish  had  been  sunnin'  in  de  waters.  One  day  I 
look  up,  an'  I  see  a  big  cloud  ;  it  didn't  come  up 
like  as  de  clouds  come  out  far  yonder,  but  it 
'peared  to  be  right  ober  head.  Der  was  tunders 
out  of  dat,  an' der  was  lightnin's.  Den  I  looked 
down  on  de  water,  an'  I  see,  'peared  to  me  a  big 
house  in  de  water,  an'  out  of  de  big  house  came 
great  big  eggs,  arid  de  good  eggs  went  on  trou'  de 
air,  an'  fell  into  de  fort;  an'  de  bad  eggs  burst 
before  dey  got  dar.  Den  de  Sesh  Buckra  begin 
to  run,  an  de  neber  stop  running  till  dc  git  to  de 
swamp,  an'  de  stick  dar  an'  de  die  dar.  Den  I 
heard  'twas  the  Yankee  ship*  firm'  out  de  big 
eggs,  an  dey  had  come  to  set  us  free.  Den  I  praise 
de  Lord.  He  come  an'  put  he  little  finger  in  de 
work,  an'  dey  Sesh  Buckra  all  go ;  and  de  birds  stop 
flyin',  and  de  rabens  stop  cryin',  an'  when  I  go  to 
catch  a  fish  to  eat  wid  my  rice,  de  's  no  fish  dar. 
De  Lord  A'mighty  'd  come  and  frightened  'em  all 
*  The  Wabaeh. 


46  SOME    SCENES    IX   THE 

out  of  tie  waters.  Oh  !  Praise  de  Lord  !  I  'd 
prayed  seventy-three  years,  an'  now  he  's  come  an' 
we's  all  free." 

The  last  time  Harriet  was  returning  from  the 
war,  with  her  pass  as  hospital  nurse,  she  bought  a 
half-fare  ticket,  as  she  was  told  she  must  do ;  and 
missing  the  other  train,  she  got  into  an  emigrant 
train  on  the  Amboy  Railroad.  When  the  con- 
ductor looked  at  her  ticket,  he  said,  "  Come,  hus- 
tle out  of  here !  We  don't  carry  niggers  for  half- 
fare."  Harriet  explained  to  him  that  she  was  in 
the  employ  of  Government,  and  was  entitled  to 
transportation  as  the  soldiers  were.  But  the  con- 
ductor took  her  forcibly  by  the  arm,  and  said, 
"  I'll  make  you  tired  of  trying  to  stay  here,"  She 
resisted,  and  being  very  strong,  she  could  probably 
have  got'  the  better  of  the  conductor,  had  he  not 
called  three  men  to  his  assistance.  The  car  was 
filled  with  emigrants,  and  no  one  seemed  to  take 
her  part.  The  only  words  she  heard,  accompa- 
nied with  fearful  oaths,  were,  "  Piti'h  the  nagur 
out ! "  They  nearly  wrenched  her  arm  off,  and 
at  length  threw  her,  with  all  their  strength,  into  a 
baggage-car.  She  supposed  her  arm  was  broken, 
and  in  intense  suffering  she  came  on  to  New  York. 
As  she  left  the  car,  a  delicate-looking  young  man 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAX.  4:7 

came  up  to  her,  and,  handing  her  a  card,  said, 
"  You  ought  to  sue  that  conductor,  and  if  you 
want  a  witness,  call  on  me."  Harriet  remained  all 
winter  under  the  care  of  a  physician  in  New  York; 
he  advised  her  to  sue  the  Railroad  company,  and 
said  that  he  would  willingly  testify  as  to  her  inju- 
ries. But  the  card  the  young  man  had  given  her 
was  only  a  visiting  card,  and  she  did  not  know 
where  to  find  him,  and  so  she  let  the  matter  go. 

The  writer  here  finds  it  necessary  to  apologize 
for  the  very  desultory  and  hasty  manner  in  which 
this  little  book  is  written.  Being  herself  pressed 
for  time,  in  the  expectation  of  soon  leaving  the 
country,  she  is  obliged  to  pen  down  the  material  to 
be  used  in  the  short  and  interrupted  interviews  she 
can  obtain  with  Harriet,  and  also  to  use  such  let- 
ters and  accounts  as  may  be  sent  her,  as  they  come, 
without  being  able  to  work  them  in,  in  the  order  of 
time.  A  very  material  assistance  is  to  be  rendered 
her  by  the  kind  offer  of  an  account  of  Harriet's 
services  during  the  war,  written  by  Mr.  Charles  P. 
Wood,  of  Auburn,  and  kindly  copied  by  one  of 
Harriet's  most  faithful  and  most  efh'cient  friends, 
Mrs.  S.  M.  Hopkins,  of  that  place. 

It  was  a  wise  plan  of  our  sagacious  heroine  to 
leave  her  old  parents  till  the  last  to  be  brought 


48  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

away.  They  were  pensioned  off  as  too  old  to  work, 
had  a  cabin,  and  a  horse  and  cow,  and  were  quite 
comfortable.  If  Harriet  had  taken  them  away  be- 
fore the  young  people,  these  last  would  have  been 
sold  into  Southern  slavery,  to  keep  them  out  of  her 
way.  But  at  length  Harriet  heard  that  the  old 
man  had  been  betrayed  by  a  slave  whom  lie  had 
assisted,  but  who  had  turned  back,  and  when  ques- 
tioned by  his  wife,  told  her  the  story  of  his  intended 
escape,  and  of  the  aid  he  had  received  from  "Old 
Ben."  This  woman,  hoping  to  curry  favor  with 
her  master,  revealed  the  whole  to  him,  and  "  Old 
Ben  "  was  arrested.  He  was  to  be  tried  the  next 
week,  when  Harriet  appeared  upon  the  scene,  and, 
as  she  says,  "saved  dem  de  expense  ob  de  trial,  and 
removed  her  father  to  a  higher  court,  bv  taking 

O  */  O 

him  off  to  Canada.  The  manner  of  their  escape  is 
detailed  in  the  following  letter  from  Thomas  Gar- 
rett,  the  Wilmington  Quaker  : 

WILMINGTON,  6th  Mo.,  1868. 

MY  FRIEND:  Thy  favor  of  the  12th  reached  me  \ 
yesterday,  requesting  such  reminiscences  as  I  could 
give  respecting  the  remarkable  labors  of  Harriet 
Tubmari,  in  aiding  her  colored  friends  from  bondage. 
I  may  begin  by  saying,  living  as  I  have  in  a  slave 
State,  and  the  laws  being  very  severe  where  any 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  49 

proof  could  be  made  of  any  one  aiding  slaves  on 
their  way  to  freedom,  I  have  not  felt  at  liberty  to 
keep  any  written  word  of  Harriet's  or  my  own  la- 
bors, except  in  numbering  those  whom  I  have  aided. 
For  that  reason  I  cannot  furnish  so  interesting  an 
account  of  Harriet's  labors  as  I  otherwise  could,  and 
now  would  be  glad  to  do ;  for  in  truth  I  never  met 
with  any  person,  of  any  color,  who  had  more  confi- 
dence in  the  voice  of  God,  as  spoken  direct  to  her 
soul.  She  has  frequently  told  me  that  she  talked 
with  God,  and  he  talked  with  her  every  day  of  her 
life,  and  she  has  declared  to  me  that  she  felt  no 
more  fear  of  being  arrested  by  her  former  master, 
or  any  other  person,  when  in  his  immediate  neigh- 
borhood, than  she  did  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
or  Canada,  for  she  said  she  never  ventured  only 
where  God  sent  her,  and  her  faith  in  a  Supreme 
Power  truly  was  great. 

I  have  now  been  confined  to  my  room  writh  in- 
disposition more  than  four  weeks,  and  cannot  sit  to 
write  much  ;  but  I  feel  so  much  interested  in  Har- 
riet that  I  will  try  to  give  some  of  the  most  remark- 
able incidents  that  now  present  themselves  to  my 
mind.  The  date  of  the  commencement  of  her  la- 
bors, I  cannot  certainly  give ;  but  I  think  it  must 
have  been  about  1845 ;  from  that  time  till  I860,  I 


50  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

think  she  must  have  brought  from  the  neighborhood 
where  she  had  been  held  as  a  slave,  from  60  to  80 
persons,  from  Maryland,  some  80  miles  from  here. 
No  slave  who  placed  himself  under  her  care,  was 
ever  arrested  that  I  have  heard  of;  she  mostly  had 
her  regular  stopping  places  on  her  route ;  but  in 
one  instance,  when  she  had  two  stout  men  with  her, 
some  30  miles  below  here,  she  said  that  God  told 
her  to  stop,  which  she  did  ;  and  then  asked  him 
what  she  must  do.  He  told  her  to  leave  the  road, 
and  turn  to  the  left ;  she  obeyed,  and  soon  came  to 
a  small  stream  of  tide  water;  there  was  no  boat, 
no  bridge ;  she  again  inquired  of  her  Guide  what 
she  was  to  do.  She  was  told  to  go  through.  It 
was  cold,  in  the  month  of  March;  but  having  con- 
fidence in  her  Guide,  she  went  in ;  the  water  came 
up  to  her  arm-pits ;  the  men  refused  to  follow  till 
they  saw  her  safe  on  the  opposite  shore.  They  then 
followed,  and  if  I  mistake  not,  she  had  soon  to  wade 
a  second  stream ;  soon  after  which  she  came  to  a 
cabin  of  colored  people,  who  took  them  all  in,  put 
them  to  bed,  and  dried  their  clothes,  ready  to  pro- 
ceed next  night  on  their  journey.  •  Harriet  had  run 
out  of  money,  and  gave  them  some  of  her  under- 
clothing to  pay  for  their  kindness.  When  she  called 
on  me  two  days  after,  she  was  so  hoarse  she  could 


LIFE   OF    HARRIET   TUBMAN.  51 

hardly  speak,  and  was  also  suffering  with  violent 
toothache.  The  strange  part  of  the  story  we  found 
to  be,  that  the  master  of  these  two  men  had  put  up 
the  previous  day,  at  the  railroad  station  near  where 
she  left,  an  advertisement  for  them,  offering  a  large 
reward  for  their  apprehension ;  but  they  made  a 
safe  exit.  She  at  one  time  brought  as  many  as 
seven  or  eight,  several  of  whom  were  women  and 
children.  She  was  well  known  here  vin  Chester 
County  and  Philadelphia,  and  respected  by  all  true 
abolitionists.  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  furnish- 
ing her  and  those  that  accompanied  her,  as  she  re- 
turned from  her  acts  of  mercy,  with  new  shoes; 
and  on  one  occasion  when  I  had  not  seen  her  for 
three  months,  she  came  into  my  store.  I  said, 
"  Harriet,  I  am  glad  to  see  thee  !  I  suppose  thee 
wants  a  pair  of  new  shoes."  Her  reply  was  "  I 
want  more  than  that."  I,  in  jest,  said,  "  I- have  al- 
ways been  liberal  with  thee,  and  wish  to  be ;  but  I 
am  not  rich,  and  cannot  afford  to  give  much."  Her 
reply  was  :  "  God  tells  me  you  have  money  for  me." 
I  asked  her  "if  God  never  deceived  her?"  She 
said,  "  TsTo  !  "  "  Well !  how  much  does  thee  want  ?  " 
After  studying  a  moment,  she  said :  "  About  twenty- 
three  dollars."  I  then  gave  her  twenty-four  dol- 
lars and  some  odd  cents,  the  net  proceeds  of  five 


52  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

pounds  sterling,  received  through  Eliza  Wigham, 
of  Scotland,  for  her.  I  had  given  some  accounts 
of  Harriet's  labor  to  the  Anti-Slavery  Society  of 
Edinburgh,  of  which  Eliza  Wigham  was  Secretary. 
On  the  reading  of  my  letter,  a  gentleman  present 
said  he  would  send  Harriet  four  pounds  if  he  knew 
of  any  way  to  get  it  to  her.  Eliza  Wigham  offered 
to  forward  it  to  me  for  her,  and  that  was  the  first 
money  ever  received  by  me  for  her.  Some  twelve 
months  after,  she  called  on  me  again,  and  said  that 
God  told  her  I  had  some  money  for  her,  but  not  so 
much  as  before.  I  had,  a  few  days  previous,  re- 
ceived the  net  proceeds  of  one  pound  ten  shil- 
lings from -Europe  for  her.  To  say  the  least,  there 
was  something  remarkable  in  these  facts,  whether 
clairvoyance,  or  the  divine  impression  on  her  mind 
from  the  source  of  all  power,  I  cannot  tell ;  but 
certain -it  was  she  had  a  guide  within  herself  other 
than  the  written  word,  for  she  never  had  any  edu- 
cation. She  brought  away  her  aged  parents  in  a 
singular  manner.  They  started  with  an  old  horse, 
fitted  out  in  primitive  style  with  a  straw  collar,  a 
pair  of  old  chaise  wheels,  with  a  board  on  the  axle 
to  sit  on,  another  board  swung  with  ropes,  fastened 
to  the  axle,  to  rest  their  feet  on.  She  got  her  par- 
ents, who  were  both  slaves  belonging  to  different 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  53 

masters,  on  this  rude  vehicle  to  the  railroad,  put 
them  in  the  cars,  turned  Jehu  herself,  and  drove  to 
town  in  a  style  that  no  human  being  ever  did  be- 
fore or  since ;  but  she  was  happy  at  having  arrived 
safe.  Next  day,  I  furnished  her  with  money  to 
take  them  all  to  Canada.  I  afterwards  sold  their 
horse,  and  sent  them  the  balance  of  the  proceeds. 
I  believe  that  Harriet  succeeded  in  freeing  all  her 
relatives  but  one  sister  and  her  three  children. 

Etc.,  etc.  Thy  friend, 

THOS.  GARRETT. 

Friend  Garrett  probably  refers  here  to  those  who 
passed  through  his  hands.  Harriet  was  obliged  to 
come  by  many  different  routes  on  her  different 
journeys,  and  though  she  never  counted  those 
whom  she  brought  away  writh  her,  it  would  seem, 
by  the  computation  of  others,  that  there  must  have 
been  somewhere  near  three  hundred  brought  by 
her  to  the  Northern  States  and  Canada. 


Extracts  from   a  letter  written  by  Mr.  Sanborn, 
Secretary  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  State 
Charities. 
MY  DEAR  MADAME  :    Mr.  Phillips  has   sent  me 

your  note,  asking  for  reminiscences  of  Harriet  Tub- 


54.  SOME    SCENES    IN   THE 

man,  and  testimonials  to  her  extraordinary  story, 
which  all  her  New  England  friends  will,  I  am 
sure,  be  glad  to  furnish. 

I  never  had  reason  to  doubt  the  truth  of  what 
Harriet  said  in  regard  to  her  own  career,  for  I 
found  her  singularly  truthful.  Her  imagination  is 
warm  and  rich,  and  there  is  a  whole  region  of  the 
marvelous  in  her  nature,  which  has  manifested 
itself  at  times  remarkably.  Her  dreams  and  visions, 
misgivings  and  fore  warnings,  ought  not  to  be 
omitted  in  any  life  of  her,  particularly  those  re- 
lating to  John  Brown. 

She  was  in  his  confidence  in  1858-9,  and  he  had 
a  great  regard  for  her,  which  he  often  expressed  to 
me.  She  aided  him  in  his  plans,  and  expected  to 
do  so  still  further,  when  his  career  was  closed  by 
that  wonderful  campaign  in  Virginia.  The  first 
time  she  came  to  my  house,  in  Concord,  after  that 
tragedy,  she  was  shown  into  a  room  in  the  evening, 
where  Brackett's  bust  of  John  Brown  was  stand- 
ing. The  sight  of  it,  which  was  new  to  her,  threw 
her  into  a  sort  of  ecstacy  of  sorrow  and  admiration, 
and  she  went  on  in  her  rhapsodical  way  to  pro- 
nounce his  apotheosis. 

She  has  often  been  in  Concord,  where  she  resided 
at  the  houses  of  Emerson,  Alcott,  the  Whitneys, 


LIFE   OF    HARRIET   TUBMAN.  55 

the  Brooks  family,  Mrs.  Horace  Mann,  and  other 
well  known  persons.  They  all  admired  and  re- 
spected her,  and  nobody  doubted  the  reality  of  her 
adventures.  She  was  too  real  a  person  to  be  sus- 
pected. In  1862,  I  think  it  was,  she  went  from 
Boston  to  Port  Royal,  under  the  advice  and  encour- 
agement of  Mr.  Garrison,  Governor  Andrew,  Dr. 
Howe,  and  other  leading  people.  Her  career  in 
South  Carolina  is  well  known  to  some  of  our  offi- 
cers, and  I  think  to  Colonel  Higginson,  now  of 
Newport,  R.  I.,  and  Colonel  James  Montgomery, 
of  Kansas,  to  both  of  whom  she  was  useful  as  a 
spy  and  guide,  if  I  mistake  not.  I  regard  her  as, 
on  the  whole,  the  most  extraordinary  person  of  her 
race  I  have  ever  met.  She  is  a  negro  of  pure  or 
almost  pure  blood,  can  neither  read  nor  write,  and 
has  the  characteristics  of  her  race  and  condition. 
But  she  has  done  what  can  scarcely  be  credited  on 
the  best  authority,  and  she  has  accomplished  her 
purposes  with  a  coolness,  foresight,  patience,  and 
wisdom,  which  in  a  ichite  man  would  have  raised 
him  to  the  highest  pitch  of  reputation. 

I  am,  dear  Madame,  very  truly  your  servant, 

F.  B.  SANBORN. 

Of  the  "  dreams  and  visions  "  mentioned  in  this 


56  SOME    SCENES    IN   THE 

letter,  the  writer  might  have  given  many  wonder- 
ful instances ;  but  it  was  thought  best  not  to 
insert  anything  which,  with  any,  might  bring  dis- 
credit upon  the  story.  When  these  turns  of  som- 
nolency come  upon  Harriet,  she  imagines  that  her 
"  spirit "  leaves  her  body,  and  visits  other  scenes 
and  places,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  in  the  world 
of  spirits.  And  her  ideas  of  these  scenes  show,  to 
say  the  least  of  it,  a  vividness  of  imagination  seldom 
equaled  in  the  soarings  of  the  most  cultivated  minds. 
Not  long  since,  the  writer,  on  going  into  Harriet's 
room  in  the  morning,  sat  down  by  her  and  began 
to  read  that  wonderful  and  glorious  description  of 
the  heavenly  Jerusalem  in  the  two  last  chapters  of 
Revelations.  When  the  reading  was  finished,  Har- 
riet burst  into  a  rhapsody  which  perfectly  amazed 
her  hearer — telling  of  what  she  had  seen  in  one  of 
these  visions,  sights  which  no  one  could  doubt  had 
been  real  to  her,  and  which  no  human  imagination 
could  have  conceived,  it  would  seem,  unless  in  dream 
or  vision.  There  was  a  wild  poetry  in  these  descrip- 
tions which  seemed  to  border  almost  on  inspiration, 
but  by  many  they  might  be  characterized  as  the 
ravings  of  insanity.  All  that  can  be  said  is,  how- 
ever, if  this  woman  is  insane,  there  has  been  a  won- 
derful "  method  in  her  madness." 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET   TUBMAN.  57 

At  one  time,  Harriet  was  much  troubled  in 
spirit  about  her  three  brothers,  feeling  sure  that 
some  great  evil  was  impending  over  their  heads. 
Slio  wrote  a  letter,  by  the  hand  of  a  friend,  to  a 
man  named  Jacob  Jackson,  who  lived  near  there. 
Jacob  was  a  free  negro,  who  could  both  read  and 
write,  and  who  was  under  suspicion  at  that  time, 
as  it  was  thought  he  had  something  to  do  with  the 
disappearance  of  so  many  slaves.  It  was  neces- 
sary, therefore,  to  be  very  cautious  in  writing  to 
him.  Jacob  had  .an  adopted  son,  William  Henry 
Jackson,  also  free,  who  had  come  South  ;  and  so 
Harriet  determined  to  sign  her  letter  with  his 
name,  knowing  that  Jacob  would  be  clever  enough 
to  understand,  by  her  peculiar  phraseology,  what 
meaning  she  intended  to  convey  to  him.  She, 
therefore,  after  speaking  of  indifferent  matters, 
said,  "Read  my  letter  to  the  old  folks,  and  give 
my  love  to  them,  and  tell  my  brothers  to  be 
always  watching  unto  prayer,  and  when  the  good 
old  ship  of  Zion  comes  along,  to  be  ready  to  step 
aboard" 

The  letter  was  signed  "  William  Henry  Jackson." 
Jacob  was  not  allowed  to  have  his  letters  till  the 
self-elected  inspectors  had  had  the  reading  of 
them,  and  studied  into  their  secret  meaning. 


58  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

They,  therefore,  got  together,  wiped  their  glasses, 
and  got  them  on,  and  proceeded  to  a  careful  peru- 
sal of  this  mysterious  document.  What  it  meant, 
they  could  not  imagine ;  William  Henry  Jackson 
had  no  parents  or  brothers,  and  the  letter  was  in- 
comprehensible. White  genius  having  exhausted 
itself,  black  genius  was  called  in,  and  Jacob's 
letter  was  at  last  handed  to  him.  Jacob  saw  at 
once  what  it  meant,  but  tossed  it  down,  saying, 
"  Dat  letter  can't  be  meant  for  me,  no  how.  I 
can't  make  head  nor  tail  of  it,"  and  walked  off  and 
took  immediate  measures  to  let  Harriet's  brothers 
know  secretly  that  she  was  coming,  and  they  must 
be  ready  to  start  at  a  moment's  notice  for  the  North. 
When  Harriet  arrived  there,  it  was  the  day  before 
Christmas,  and  she  found  her  three  brothers,  who 
had  attempted  to  escape,  were  advertised  to  be 
sold  on  Christmas  day  to  the  highest  bidder,  to  go 
down  to  the  cotton  and  rice  fields  with  the  chain- 
gang.  Christmas  came  on  Sunday,  and  therefore 
they  were  not  to  be  sold  till  Monday.  Harriet 
arrived  on  Saturday,  and  gave  them  secret  notice 
to  be  ready  to  start  Saturday  night,  immediately 
after  dark,  the  first  stopping-place  to  be  their 
father's  cabin,  forty  miles  away.  When  they 
assembled,  their  brother  John  was  missing ;  but 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TPBMAN.  59 

when  Harriet  was  ready,  the  word  was  "  For- 
ward ! "  and  she  "  nebber  waited  for  no  one." 
Poor  John  was  almost  ready  to  start,  when  his 
wife  was  taken  ill,  and  in  an  hour  or  two,  another 
little  inheritor  of  the  blessings  of  slavery  had  come 
into  the  world.  John  must  go  off  for  a  "Granny," 
and  then  he  would  not  leave  his  wife  in  her  pres- 
ent circum stances.  But  after  the  birth  of  the 
child,  he  began  to  think  he  must  start ;  the  North 
and  Liberty,  or  the  South  and  life-long  Slavery — 
these  were  the  alternatives,  and  this  was  his  last 
chance.  He  tried  again  and  again  to  steal  out  of 
the  door,  but  a  watchful  eye  was  on  him,  and  he 
was  always  arrested  by  the  question,  "  Where  you 
gwine,  John  ? "  At  length  he  told  her  he  was 
going  to  try  to  see  if  he  couldn't  get  hired  out  on 
Christmas  to  another  man.  His  wife  did  not 
think  that  he  was  to  be  sold.  He  went  out  of  the 
door,  and  stood  by  the  corner  of  the  house,  near 
her  bed,  listening.  At  length,  he  heard  her  sob- 
bing and  crying,  and  not  being  able  to  endure  it, 
he  went  back.  "  Oh  !  John,"  said  his  wife,  "  you's 
gwine  to  lebe  me ;  but,  wherebber  you  go,  remem- 
ber me  an'  de  chillen."  John  went  out  and  started 
at  full  speed  for  his  father's  cabin,  forty  miles 
away.  At  daybreak,  he  overtook  the  others  in 


60  SOME    SCENES   IN    THE 

the  "  fodder  house,"  near  the  cabin  of  their  pa- 
rents. Harriet  had  not  seen  her  mother  there  for 
six  years,  but  they  did  not'  dare  to  let  the  old 
woman  know  of  their  being  in  her  neighborhood, 
or  of  their  intentions,  for  she  would  have  raised 
such  an  uproar  in  her  eiforts  to  detain  them  with 
her,  that  the  whole  plantation  would  have  been 
alarmed.  The  poor  old  woman  had  been  expect- 
ing the  boys  all  day,  to  spend  Christinas  with  her 
as  usual.  She  ,had  been  hard  at  work,  had  killed 
a  pig,  and  put  it  to  all  the  various  uses  to  which 
sinner's  flesh  is  doomed,  and  had  made  all  the 
preparations  her  circumstances  admitted  of,  to 
give  them  a  sumptuous  entertainment,  and  there 
she  sat  watching.  In  the  night,  when  Harriet  and 
two  of  her  brothers  and  two  other  men,  who  had 
escaped  with  them,  arrived  at  the  "fodder  house," 
they  were  exhausted  and  famished.  They  sent 
the  two  strange  men  up  to  the  house  to  try  and 
speak  to  "  Old  Ben,"  their  father,  but  not  to  let 
their  mother  know  of  their  being  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. The  men  succeeded  in  rousing  old  Ben, 
who  came  out,  and  as  soon  as  he  heard  their  story, 
he  gathered  together  a  quantity  of  provisions,  and 
came  down  to  the  fodder  house,  and  slipped  them 
inside  the  door,  taking  care  not  to  see  his  children. 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  61 

Up  among  the  ears  of  corn  they  lay,  and  one  of 
them  he  had  not  seen  for  six  years.  It  rained 
very  hard  all  that  Sunday,  and  there  they  lay  all 
day,  for  they  could  not  start  till  night.  At  about 
daybreak,  John  joined  them.  There  were  wide 
chinks  in  the  boards  of  the  fodder  house,  and 
through  them  they  could  see  their  father's  cabin  ; 
and  all  day  long,  every  few  minutes,  they  would  see 
the  old  woman  come  out,  and,  shading  her  eyes 
with  her  hand,  take  a  long  look  down  the  road  to 
see  if  her  children  were  coming,  and  then  they 
could  almost  hear  her  sigh  as  she  turned  into  the 
house,  disappointed. 

Two  or  three  times  the  old  man  came  down,  and 
pushed  food  inside  the  door,  and  after  nightfall  he 
came  to  accompany  them  part  of  the  way  upon 
their  journey.  When  he  reached  the  fodder  house, 
he  tied  his  handkerchief  tight  over  his  eyes,  and 
two  of  his  sons  taking  him  by  each  arm,  he 
accompanied  them  some  miles  upon  their'  jour- 
ney. They  then  bade  him  farewell,  and  left 
him  standing  blind-fold  in  the  middle  of  the 
road.  When  he  could  no  longer  hear  their  foot- 
steps, he  took  off  the  handkerchief,  and  turned 
back. 

But  before  leaving,  they  had  gone  up  to  the  cabin 


62  SOME    SCENES    IN   THE 

to  take  a  silent  farewell  of  the  poor  old  mother. 
Through  the  little  window  of  the  cabin,  they  saw 
the  old  woman  sitting  by  her  fire  with  a  pipe 
in  her  mouth,  her  head  on  her  hand,  rocking  back 
and  forth  as  she  did  when  she  was  in  tiouble,  and 
wondering  what  new  evil  had  come  to  her  children. 
With  streaming  eyes,  they  watched  her  for  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes ;  but  time  was  precious,  and  they 
must  reach  their  next  station  before  daybreak,  and 
so  they  turned  sadly  away. 

When  the  holidays  were  over,  and  the  men  came 
for  the  three  brothers  to  sell  them,  they  could  not 
be  found.  The  first  place  to  search  was  of  course 
the  plantation  where  all  their  relatives  and  friends 
lived.  They  went  to  the  "  big  house,"  and  asked 
the  "Doctor"  if  he  had  seen  anything  of  them. 
The  Doctor  said,  "  No,  they  mostly  came  up  there 
to  see  the  other  niggers  when  they  came  for  Christ- 
mas, but  they  hadn't  been  round  at  all.  "  Have 
you  been  down  to  Old  Ben's  ?  "  the  Doctor  asked. 
"  Yes."  "  What  does  Old  Kit  say  ?  "  "  Old  Kit 
says  not  one  of  'em  came  this  Christmas.  She  was 
looking  for  'em  most  all  day,  and  most  broke  her 
heart  about  it."  "What  does  Old  Ben  say?" 
"  Old  Ben  says  that  he  hasn't  seen  one  of  his  chil- 
dren this  Christmas."  "  Well,  if  Old  Ben  says  that, 


LIFE    OF    HAKRLET   TUBMAN.  63 

they  haven't  been  round.  "  And  so  the  man-hunters 
went  off  disappointed. 

One  of  the  other  brothers,  William  Henry,  had 
long  been  attached  to  a  girl  named  Catherine, 
who  lived  with  another  master;  but  her  master 
would  not  let  her  marry  him.  When  William 
Henry  made  up  his  mind  to  start  with  Harriet,  he 
determined  to  bring  Catherine  with  him.  And  so 
he  went  to  a  tailor's,  and  bought  a  new  suit  of 
men's  clothes,  and  threw  them  over  the  garden 
fence  of  Catherine's  master.  The  garden  ran  down 
to  a  run,  and  Catherine  had  been  notified  where  to 
find  the  clothes.  When  the  time  had  come  to  get 
ready,  Catherine  went  to  the  foot  of  the  garden 
and  dressed  herself  in  the  suit  of  men's  clothes. 
She  was  soon  missed,  and  all  the  girls  in  the  house 
were  set  to  looking  for  Catherine.  Presently  they 
saw  coming  up  through  the  garden,  as  if  from  the 
river,  a  well-dressed  little  darkey,  and  they  all 
stopped  looking  for  Catherine  to  stare  at  him.  He 
walked  directly  by  them  round  the  house,  and 
went  out  of  the  gate,  without  the  slightest  sus- 
picion being  excited  as  to  who  he  was.  In  a  fort- 
night from  that  time,  the  whole  party  were  safe  in 
Canada. 

William  Henry  died  in  Canada,  but  Catherine 


64  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

has  been  seen  and  talked  with  by  the  writer,  at  the 
house  of  the  old  people. 

Of  the  many  letters,  testimonials,  and  passes, 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  writer  by  Harriet,  the 
following  are  selected  for  insertion  in  this  book, 
and  are  quite  sufficient  to  verify  her  statements. 

A  Letter  from  Gen.  Saxton  to  a  Lady  of  Auburn. 

ATLANTA,  GA.,  March  21,  1868. 

MY  DEAR  MADAME  :  I  have  just  received  your 
letter  informing  me  that  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Seward, 
Secretary  of  State,  would  present  a  petition  to 
Congress  for  a  pension  to  Harriet  Tubman,  for 
services  rendered  in  the  Union  Armv  durin<>-  the 

«/  O 

late  war.  I  can  bear  witness  to  the  value  of  her 
services  in  South  Carolina  and  Florida.  She  was 
employed  in  the  hospitals  and  as  a  spy.  She  made 
many  a  raid  inside  the  enemy's  lines,  displaying 
remarkable  courage,  zeal,  and  fidelity.  She  was 
employed  by  General  Hunter,  and  I  think  by 
Generals  Stevens  and  Sherman,  and  is  as  deservino- 

O 

of  a  pension  from  the  Government  for  her  services 
as  any  other  of  its  faithful  servants. 

I  am  very  truly  yours, 
RUFUS  SAXTOX,  Bvt.  Brig.-Gen.  U.  S.  A. 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  65 

Letter  from*  Ilorn.  Wm.H.  Seward. 

WASHINGTON,  July  25, 1868. 
MAJ.-GEN.  HUNTER — 

MY  DEAR  SIR:  Harriet  Tubman,  a  colored 
woman,  lias  been  nursing  our  soldiers  during  nearly 
all  the  war.  She  believes  she  has  a  claim  for  faith- 
ful services  to  the  command  in  South  Carolina  with 
which  you  are  connected,  and  she  thinks  that  you 
would  be  disposed  to  see  her  claim  justly  settled. 

I  have  known  her  long,  and  a  nobler,  higher  spirit, 
or  a  truer,  seldom  dwells  in  the  human  form.  I 
commend  her,  therefore,  to  your  kind  and  best 
attentions.  Faithfully  your  friend, 

WILLIAM  H.  SEWARD. 


Letter  from    Col.    James   Montgomery. 

ST.  HELENA  ISLAND,  S.  C.,  July  6,  1863. 

HEADQUARTERS  COLORED  BRIGADE. 

BRIG.-GEN.  GILMAX,  Commanding  Department  of 

the  South— 

GENERAL  :  I  wish  to  commend  to  your  atten- 
tion, Mrs.  Harriet  Tubman,  a  most  remarkable 
woman,  and  invaluable  as  a  scout.  I  have  been 
acquainted  with  her  character  and  actions  for 
several  years. 


66  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

Walter  D.   Plowden  is  a  man  of  tried  courage, 
and  can  be  made  highly  useful. 

I  am,  General,  your  most  ob't  servant, 

JAMES  MONTGOMERY,  Col.  Com.  Brigade. 


Letter  from  Mrs.  Gen.  A.  JBaird. 

PETERBOKO,  Nov.  24, 1864. 

The  bearer  of  this,  Harriet  Tubman,  a  most  ex- 
cellent woman,  who  has  rendered  faithful  and  good 
services  to  our  Union  army,  not  only  in  the  hos- 
pital, but  in  various  capacities,  having  been  em- 
ployed under  Government  at  Hilton  Head,  and  in 
Florida ;  and  I  commend  her  to  the  protection  of 
all  officers  in  whose  department  she  may  happen 
to  be. 

She  has  been  known  and  esteemed  for  years  by 
the  family  of  my  uncle,  Hon.  Gerrit  Smith,  as  a 
person  of  great  rectitude  and  capabilities. 

MRS.  GEN.  A.  BAIRD. 


letter  from  Hon.  Gerrit  /Smith. 

PETERBORO,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  4, 1867. 

I  have  known  Mrs.  Harriet  Tubman  for  many 
years.     Seldom,  if  ever,  have  I  met  with  a  person 


LIFE   OF   HARRIET   TDBHAN.  67 

more  philanthropic,  more  self-denying,  and  of  more 
bravery.  Nor  must  I  omit  to  say  that  she  com- 
bines with  her  sublime  spirit,  remarkable  discern- 
ment and  judgment. 

During  the  late  war,  Mrs.  Tubman  was  eminently 
faithful  and  useful  to  the  cause  of  our  country. 
She  is  poor  and  has  poor  parents.  Such  a  servant 
of  the  country  should  be  well  paid  by  the  country. 
I  hope  that  the  Government  will  look  into  her 
case.  GERRIT  SMITH. 


Testimonial  from  G  err  it  Smith. 

PETERBORO,  Nov.  22,  1864. 

The  bearer,  Harriet  Tubman,  needs  not  any  rec- 
ommendation. Nearly  all  the  nation  over,  she  has 
been  heard  of  for  her  wisdom,  integrity,  patriotism, 
and  bravery.  The  cause  of  freedom  owes  her  much. 
The  country  owes  her  much. 

I  have  known  Harriet  for  many  years,  and  I 
hold  her  in  my  high  esteem.  GERRIT  SMITH. 


Certificate  from  Henry  K.  Dum*ant,  Acting  Asst. 

Surgeon,  U.  8.  A. 

I  certify  that  I  have  been  acquainted  with  Har- 
riet Tubman  for  nearly  two  years ;  and  my  position 


68  SOME    SCENES    IX    THE 

as  Medical  Officer  in  charge  of  "  contrabands  "  in 
this  town  and  in  hospital,  has  given  me  frequent 
and  ample  opportunities  to  observe  her  general  de- 
portment ;  particularly  her  kindness  and  attention 
to  the  sick  and  suffering  of  her  own  race.  I  take 
much  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  esteem  in  which 
she  is  generally  held. 

HKNEY  K.  DUEEANT, 
Acting  Assistant  Surgeon,  II.  S.  A. 
In  charge  "  Contraband  "  Hospital. 
Dated  at  Beaufort.  S.  C.,  the  3d  day  of  May, 
1864. 

I  concur  fully  in  the  above. 

R.  SAXTON,  Brig.-Gen.  Vol. 


•The  following  are  a  few  of  the  passes  used  by 
Harriet  throughout  the  war.  Many  others  are  so 
defaced  that  it  is  impossible  to  decipher  them. 

HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OP  THE  SOUTH, 
HILTON  HEAD,  PORT  ROYAL,  S.  C.,  Feb.  19, 1863. 

Pass  the  bearer,  Harriet  Tubman,  to  Beaufort  and 
back  to  this  place,  and  wherever  she  wishes  to  go ; 
and  give  her  free  passage  at  all  times,  on  all  Gov- 
ernment transports.  Harriet  was  sent  to  me  from 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  69 

Boston  by  Gov.  Andrew  of  Mass.,  and  is  a  valua- 
ble woman.  She  has  permission,  as  a  servant  of 
the  Government,  to  purchase  such  provisions  from 
the  Commissary  as  she  may  need. 

D.  HUNTER,  Maj.-Gen.  Com. 

General  Gillman,  who  succeeded  General  Hunter 
in  command  of  the  Department  of  the  South,  ap- 
pends his  signature  to  the  same  pass. 

HEADQUARTERS  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  SOUTH, 

July  1, 1863. 
Continued  in  force. 

I.  A.  GILLMAN,  Brig. -Gen.  Com. 

BEAUFORT,  Aug.  28,  1862. 

Will  Capt.  Wai-field  please  let  "  Moses  "  have  a 
little  Bourbon  whiskey  for  medicinal  purposes. 

HENRY  K.  DURBANT,  Act.  Ass.  Surgeon. 

WAR  DEPARTMENT,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C., 
March  20,  1865. 

Pass  Mrs.  Harriet  Tubman  (colored)  to  Hilton 
Head  and  Charleston,  S.  C.,  with  free  transporta- 
tion on  a  Government  transport. 

By  order  of  the  Sec.  of  War. 

Louis  II.,  Asst.  Adj.-Gen.,  U.  S.  A. 

ToBvt.  Brig. -Gen.  Van  Vliet,  U.  S.  Q.  M.,  N.  Y. 

Not  transferable. 


70  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

WAR  DEPAHTMENT,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C., 
July  22,  1865. 

Permit  Harriet  Tubman  to  proceed  to  Fortress 
Monroe,  Va.,  on  a  Government  transport.  Trans- 
portation will  be  furnished  free  of  cost. 

By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

L.  H.,  Asst.  Adj.-Gen. 
Not  transferable. 


Appointment  as  Nurse. 

Sin  : — -I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  the 

Medical  Director  Department  of  Virginia  has  been 

instructed  to  appoint   Harriet  Tubman    nurse   or 

matron  at  the  Colored  Hospital,  Fort  Monroe,  Va. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obdt.  servant, 

V.  K.  BAKXES,  Surgeon-General. 
Hon.  WM.  H.  SEWAKD, 

Secretary  of  State,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Names  of  Harriet's  Assistants,  /Scouts,  or  Pilots. 
Scouts  who  are  residents  of  Beaufort,  and  well 
acquainted  with  the  main  land  :  Peter  Barns,  Mott 
Blake,  Sandy  Selters,  Solomon  Gregory,  Isaac  Hay- 
ward,  Gabriel  Cohen,  George  Chrisholm. 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  71 

Pilots  who  know  the  channels  of  the  rivers  in 
this  vicinity,  and  who  acted  as  such  for  Col.  Mont- 
gomery up  the  Cornbahee  River :  Charles  Simmons, 
Samuel  Hay  ward. 

App'd,  R.  SAXTON,  Brig.-Gen. 


At  this  point  the  following  good  and  kind  letter 
from  Rev.  Henry  Fowler  is  received  : 

AUBURN,  June  23, 1868. 

Mr  DEAR  FRIEXD: — I  wish  to  say  to  you  how 
gratified  I  am  that  you  are  writing  the  biography 
of  Harriet  Tubrnan.  I  feel  that  her  life  forms  part 
of  the  history  of  the  country,  and  that  it  ought  not 
to  depend  upon  tradition  to  keep  it  in  remembrance. 
Had  not  the  pressure  of  professional  claims  pre- 
vented, I  should  have  aspired  to  be  her  historian 
myself;  but  my  disappointment  in  this  regard  is 
more  than  met  by  the  satisfaction  experienced  in 
hearing  that  you  are  the  chosen  Miriam  of  this  Af- 
rican "  Moses ;  "  the  name  by  which  she  was  known 
among  her  emancipated  followers  from  the  land  of 
bondage.  Blessed  be  God!  a  "Greater  than 
Moses  "  has  at  last  broken  every  bond. 

As  ever,  with  warm  regard,  your  friend, 

HENRY  FOWLER. 


72  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

The  following  account  of  the  subject  of  this 
memoir  is  cut  from  the  Boston  Commonwealth  of 
1863,  kindly  sent  the  writer  by  Mr.  Sanborn : 

"  It  was  said  long  ago  that  the  true  romance  of 
America  was  not  in  the  fortunes  of  the  Indian, 
where  Cooper  sought  it,  nor  in  the  New  England 
character,  where  Judd  found  it,  nor  in  the  social 
contrasts  of  Virginia  planters,  as  Thackeray  im- 
agined, but  in  the  story  of  the  fugitive  slaves. 
The  observation  is  as  true  now  as  it  was  before 
war,  with  swift,  gigantic  hand,  sketched  the  vast 
shadows,  and  dashed  in  the  high  lights  in  which 
romance  loves  to  lurk  and  flash  forth.  But  the 
stage  is  enlarged  on  which  these  dramas  are 
played,  the  whole  world  now  sit  as  spectators,  and 
the  desperation  or  the  magnanimity  of  a  poor 
black  woman  has  power  to  shake  the  nation  that 
so  long  was  deaf  to  her  cries.  We  write  of  one 
of  these  heroines,  of  whom  our  slave  annals  are 
full, — a  woman  whose  career  is  as  extraordinary 
as  the  most  famous  of  her  sex  can  show. 

"  Araminta  Ross,  now  known  by  her  married 
name  of  Tubman,  with  her  sounding  Christian 
name  changed  to  Harriet,  is  the  grand-daughter 
of  a  slave  imported  from  Africa,  and  has  not  a 
drop  of  white  blood  in  her  veins.  Her  parents 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  J3 

were  Benjamin  Ross  and  Harriet  Greene,  both 
slaves,  but  married  and  faithful  to  each  other. 
They  still  live  in  old  age  and  poverty,  but  free,  on 
a  little  property  at  Auburn,  N".  Y.,  which  their 
daughter  purchased  for  them  from  Mr.  Seward, 
the  Secretary  of  StatA  She  was  born,  as  near  as 
she  can  remember,  in  1820  or  in  1821,  in  Dorchester 
County,  on  the  Eastern  shore  of  Maryland,  and 
not  far  from  the  town  of  Cambridge.  She  had  ten 
brothers  and  sisters,  of  whom  three  are  now  living, 
all  at  the  North,  and  all  rescued  from  slavery  by 
Harriet,  before  the  War.  She  went  back  just  as 
the  South  was  preparing  to  secede,  to  bring  away 
a  fourth,  but  before  she  could  reach  her,  she 
was  dead.  Three  years  before,  she  had  brought 
away  her  old  father  and  mother,  at  great  risk  to 
herself. 

"  When  Harriet  was  six  years  old,  she  was  taken 
from  her  mother  and  carried  ten  miles  to  live  with 
James  Cook,  whose  wife  was  a  weaver,  to  learn 
the  trade  of  weaving.  While  still  a  mere  child, 
Cook  set  her  to  watching  his  musk-rat  traps,  which 
compelled  her  to  wade  through  the  water.  It 
happened  that  she  was  once  sent  when  she  was  ill 
with  the  measles,  and,  taking  cold  from  wading  in 
the  water  in  this  condition,  she  grew  very  sick, 


74  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

and  her  mother  persuaded  her  master  to  take  her 
away  from  Cook's  until  she  could  get  well. 

"  Another  attempt  was  made  to  teach  her  weav- 
ing, but  she  would  not  learn,  for  she  hated  her 
mistress,  and  did  not  want  to  live  at  home,  as  she 
would  have  done  as  a  weaver,  for  it  was  the  cus- 
tom then  to  weave  the  cloth  for  the  family,  or  a 
part  of  it,  in  the  house. 

"  Soon  after  she  entered  her  teens  she  was  hired 
out  as  a  field  hand,  and  it  was  while  thus  em- 
ployed that  she  received  a  wound  which  nearly 
proved  fatal,  from  the  effects  of  which  she  still 
suffers.  In  the  fall  of  the  year,  the  slaves  there 
work  in  the  evening,  cleaning  up  wheat,  husking 
corn,  etc.-  *On  this  occasion,  one  of  the  slaves  of  a 
farmer  named  Barrett,  left  his  work,  and  went  to 
the  village  store  in  the  evening.  The  overseer 
followed  him,  and  so  did  Harriet.  When  the  slave 
was  found,  the  overseer  '  swore  he  should  be 
whipped,  and  called  on  Harriet,  among  others,  to 
help  tie  him.  She  refused,  and  as  the  man  ran 
away,  she  placed  herself  in  the  door  to  stop  pur- 
suit. The  overseer  caught  up  a  two-pound  weight 
from  the  counter  and  threw  it  at  the  fugitive,  but 
it  fell  short  and  struck  Harriet  a  stunning  blow  on 
the  head.  It  was  long  before  she  recovered  from 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  75 

this,  and  it  has  left  her  subject  to  a  sort  of  stupor 

or   lethargy  at   times ;    coming   upon   her   in   the 

1 
midst  of  conversation,   or  whatever   she   may  be 

doing,  and  throwing  her  into  a  deep  slumber,  from 
which  she  will  presently  rouse  herself,  and  go  on 
with  her  conversation  or  work. 

"  After  this  she  lived  for  five  or  six  years  with 
John  Stewart,  where  at  first  she  worked  in  the 
house,  but  afterwards  '  hired  her  time,'  and  Dr. 
Thompson,  son  of  her  master's  guardian,  '  stood 
for  her,'  that  is,  was  her  surety  for  the  payment 
of  what  she  owed.  She  employed  the  time  thus 
hired  in  the  rudest  labors, — drove  oxen,  carted, 
plowed,  and  did  all  the  work  of  :i  man, — some- 
times earning  money  enough  in  a  year,  beyond 
what  she  paid  her  master,  'to  buy  a  pair  of 
steers,'  worth  forty  dollars.  The  amount  exacted 
of  a  woman  for  her  time  was  fifty  or  sixty  dollars, 
— of  a  man,  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars.  Frequently  Harriet  worked  for  her 
lather,  who  was  a  timber  inspector,  and  superin- 
tended the  cutting  and  hauling  of  great  quantities 
of  timber  for  the  Baltimore  ship-yards.  Stewart, 
his  temporary  master,  was  a  builder,  and  for  the 
work  of  Ross  used  to  receive  as  much  as  five 
dollars  a  day  sometimes,  he  being  a  superior  work- 


76  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

man.  While  engaged  with  her  father,  she  would 
cut  wood,  haul  logs,  etc.  Her  usual  '  stint '  was 
half  a  cord  of  wood  in  a  day. 

"  Harriet  was  married  somewhere  about  1844, 
to  a  free  colored  man  named  John  Tubman,  but 
she  had  no  children.  For  the  last  two  years  of 
slavery  she  lived  with  Dr.  Thompson,  before  men- 
tioned, her  own  master  not  being  yet  of  age,  and 
Dr.  T.'s  father  being  his  guardian,  as  wrell  as  the 
owner  of  her  own  father.  In  1849  the  young  man 
died,  and  the  slaves  were  to  be  sold,  though  pre- 
viously set  free  by  an  old  will.  Harriet  resolved 
not  to  be  sold,  and  so,  with  no  knowledge  of  the 
North — having  only  heard  of  Pennsylvania  and 
New  Jersey — she  walked  away  one  night  alone. 
She  found  a  friend  in  a  white  lady,  who  knew  her 
story  and  helped  her  on  her  way.  After  many  ad- 
ventures, she  reached  Philadelphia,  where  she  found 
work  and  earned  a  small  stock  of  money,  ^ith 
this  money  in  her  purse,  she  traveled  back  to  Mary- 
land for  her  husband,  but  she  found  him  married 
to  another  woman,  and  no  longer  caring  to  live  with 
her.  This,  however,  was  not  until  two  years  after 
her  escape,  for  she  does  not  seem  to  have  reached 
her  old  home  in  her  first  two  expeditions.  In 
December,  1850,  she  had  visited  Baltimore  and 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAK.  77 

brought  away  her  sister  and  two  children,  who  had 
come  up  from  Cambridge  in  a  boat,  under  charge 
of  her  sister's  husband,  a  free  black.  A  few  months 
after  she  had  brought  away  her  brother  and  two 
other  men,  but  it  was  not  till  the  fall  of  1851  that 
she  found  her  husband  and  learned  of  his  infidelity. 
She  did  not  give  way  to  rage  or  grief,  but  collected 
a  party  of  fugitives  and  brought  them  safely  to 
Philadelphia.  In  December  of  the  same  year,  she 
returned,  and  led  out  a  party  of  eleven,  among  them 
her  brother  and  his  wife.  With  these  she  journey- 
ed to  Canada,  and  there  spent  the  winter,  for  this 
was  after  the  enforcement  of  Mason's  Fugitive 
Slave  Bill  in  Philadelphia  and  Boston,  and  there 
was  no  safety  except  '  under  the  paw  of  the  British 
Lion,'  as  she  quaintly  said.  But  the  first  winter 
was  terribly  severe  for  these  poor  runaways.  They 
earned  their  bread  by  chopping  wood  in  the  snows 
of  a  Canadian  forest ;  they  were  frost-bitten,  hun- 
gry, and  naked.  Harriet  was  their  good  angel. 
She  kept  house  for  her  brother,  and  the  poor 
creatures  boarded  with  her.  She  worked  for  them, 
begged  for  them,  prayed  for  them,  with  the  strange 
familiarity  of  communion  with  God  which  seems 
natural  to  these  people,  and  carried  them  by  the 
help  of  God  through  the  hard  winter. 


78  SOME    SCENES    IN   THE 

"In the  spring  she  returned  to  the  States,  and 
as  usual  earned  money  by  working  in  hotels  and 
families  as  a  cook.  From  Cape  May,  in  the  fall  of 
1852,  she  went  back  once  more  to  Maryland,  and 
brought  away  nine  more  fugitives. 

"  Up  to  this  time  she  had  expended  chiefly  her 
own  money  in  these  expeditions — money  which  she 
had  earned  by  hard  work  in  the  drudgery  of  the 
kitchen.  Never  did  any  one  more  exactly  fulfill  the 
sense  of  George  Herbert — 

"A  servant  with  this  clause 
Makes  drudgery  divine." 

"  But  it  was  not  possible  for  such  virtues  long  to 
remain  hidden  from  the  keen  eyes  of  the  Abolition- 
ists. She  became  known  to  Thomas  Garrett,  the 
large-hearted  Quaker  of  Wilmington,  who  has  aided 
the  escape  of  three  thousand  fugitives ;  she  found 
warm  friends  in  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  and 
wherever  she  went.  These  gave  her  money,  which 
she  never  spent  for  her  own  use",  but  laid  up  for  the 
help  of  her  people,  and  especially  for  her  journeys 
back  to  the  '  land  of  Egypt,'  as  she  called  her  old 
home.  By  reason  of  her  frequent  visits  there,  al- 
ways carrying  away  some  of  the  oppressed,  she 
got  among  her  people  the  name  of  '  Moses,'  which 
it  seems  she  still  retains. 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    Tt'BMAN.  79 

"Between  1852  and  1857,  she  made  but  two  of 
these  journeys,  in  consequence  partly  of  the  in- 
creased vigilance  of  the  slaveholders,  who  had  suf- 
fered so  much  by  the  loss  of  their  property.  A 
great  reward  was  offered  for  her  capture,  and  she 
several  times  was  on  the  point  of  being  taken,  but 
always  escaped  by  her  quick  wit,  or  by  '  warnings ' 
from  Heaven — for  it  is  time  to  notice  one  singular 
trait  in  her  character.  She  is  the  most  shrewd  and 
practical  person  in  the  world,  yet  she  is  a  firm  be- 
liever in  omens,  dreams,  and  warnings.  She  de- 
clares that  before  her  escape  from  slavery,  she  used 
to  dream  of  flying  over  fields  and  towns,  and 
rivers  and  mountains,  looking  down  upon  them 
'  like  a  bird,'  and  reaching  at  last  a  great  fence,  or 
sometimes  a  river,  over  which  she  would  try  to  fly, 
4  but  it  'peared  like  I  wouldn't  hab  de  strength,  and 
jes  as  I  was  sinkin'  down,  dare  would  be  ladies  all 
drest  in  white  ober  dere,  and  dey  would  put  out 
dere  arms  and  pull  me  'cross.'  There  is  nothing 
strange  in  this,  perhaps,  but  she  declares  that  when 
she  came  Xorth  she  remembered  these  very  places 
as  those  she  had  seen  in  her  dreams,  and  many  of 
the  ladies  who  befriended  her  were  those  she  had 
15een  helped  by  in  her  visions. 

"  Then  she  says  she  always  knows  when  there  is 


80  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

danger  near  her, — she  does  not  know  how,  exactly, 
but  '  'pears  like  my  heart  go  flutter,  flutter,  and  den 
dey  may  say  "  Peace,  Peace,"  as  much  as  dey  likes, 
I  know  its  gwine  to  be  war  /'  She  is  very  firm  on 
this  point,  and  ascribes  to  this  her  great  impunity, 
in  spite  of  the  lethargy  before  mentioned,  which 
would  seem  likely  to  throw  her  into  the  hands  of 
her  enemies.  She  says  she  inherited  this  power, 
that  her  father  could  always  predict  the  weather, 
and  that  he  foretold  the  Mexican  war. 

"  In  1867  she  made  her  most  venturesome  journey, 
for  she  brought  with  her  to  the  North  her  old  pa- 
rents, who  were  no  longer  able  to  walk  such  dis- 
tances as  she  must  go  by  night.  Consequently  she 
must  hire  a  wagon  for  them,  and  it  required  all 
her  ingenuity  to  get  them  through  Maryland  and 
Delaware  safe.  She  accomplished  it,  however,  and 
by  the  aid  of  her  friends  she  brought  them  safe  to 
Canada,  where  they  spent  the  winter.  Her  account 
of  their  sufferings  there — of  her  mother's  complain- 
ing and  her  own  philosophy  about  it — is  a  lesson  of 
trust  in  Providence  better  than  many  sermons. 
But  she  decided  to  bring  them  to  a  more  comforta- 
ble place,  and  so  s.he  negotiated  with  Mr.  Seward — 
then  in  the  Senate — for  a  little  patch  of  ground 
with  a  house  on  it,  at  Auburn,  near  his  own  home. 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  81 

To  the  credit  of  the  Secretary  of  State  it  should  be 
said,  that  he  sold  her  the  property  on  very  favora- 
ble terms,  and  gave  her  some  time  for  payment. 
To  this  house  she  removed  her  parents,  and  set 
herself  to  work  to  pay  for  her  purchase.  It 
was  on  this  errand  that  she  first  visited  Boston 
—we  believe  in  the  winter  of  1 858-9.  She  brought 
a  few  letters  from  her  friends  in  New  York,  but  she 
could  herself  neither  read  nor  write,  and  she  was 
obliged  to  trust  to  her  wits  that  they  were  deliv- 
ered to  the  right  persons.  One  of  them,  as  it  hap- 
pened, was  to  the  present  writer,  who  received  it 
by  another  hand,  and  called  to  see  her  at  her  board- 
ing-house. It  was  curious  to  see  the  caution  with 
which  she  received  her  visitor  until  she  felt  assured 
that  there  was  no  mistake.  One  of  her  means  of 
security  was  to  carry  with  her  the  daguerreotypes 
of  her  friends,  and  show  them  to  each  new  person. 
If  they  recognized  the  likeness,  then  it  was  all 
right. 

"  Pains  were  taken  to  secure  her  the  attention  to 
which  her  great  services  to  humanity  entitled  her, 
and  she  left  New  England  with  a  handsome  sum  of 
money  towards  the  payment  of  her  debt  to  Mr. 
Seward.  Before  she  left,  however,  she  had  several 
interviews  with  Captain  Brown,  then  in  Boston. 


SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

He  is  supposed  to  have  communicated  his  plans  to 
her,  and  to  have  been  aided  by  her  in  obtaining  re- 
cruits and  money  among  her  people.  At  any  rate, 
he  always  spoke  of  her  with  the  greatest  respect, 
and  declared  that  '  General  Tubman,'  as  he  styled 
her,  was  a  better  officer  than  most  whom  he  had 
seen,  and  could  command  an  army  as  successfully 
as  she  had  led  her  small  parties  of  fugitives. 

"  Her  own  veneration  for  Captain  Brown  has 
always  been  profound,  and  since  his  murder,  has 
taken  the  form  of  a  religion.  She  had  often  risked 
her  own  life  for  her  people,  and  she  thought  nothing 
of  that;  but  that  a  white  man,  and  a  man  so  no- 
ble and  strong,  should  so  take  upon  himself  the 
burden  of  a  despised  race,  she  could  not  understand, 
and  she  took  refuge  from  her  perplexity  in  the 
mysteries  of  her  fervid  religion. 

"Again,  she. laid  great  stress  on  a  dream  which 
she  had  just  before  she  met  Captain  Brown  in  Can- 
ada. She  thought  she  was  in  '  a  wilderness  sort  of 
place,  all  full  of  rocks  and  bushes,'  when  she  saw 
a  serpent  raise  its  head  among  the  rocks,  and  as  it 
did  so,  it  became  the  head  of  an  old  man  with  a 
long  white  beard,  gazing  at  her  '  wishful  like,  jes 
as  ef  he  war  gwine  to  speak  to  me,'  and  then  two 
other  heads  rose  up  beside  him,  younger  than  he, — 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET   TCBMAN.  83 

and  as  she  stood  looking  at  them,  and  wondering 
what  they  could  want  with  her,  a  great  crowd  of 
men  rushed  in  and  struck  down  the  younger  heads, 
and  then  the  head  of  the  old  man,  still  looking  at 
her  so  '  wishful.'  This  dream  she  had  again  and 
again,  and  could  not  interpret  it ;  but  when  she 
met  Captain  Brown,  shortly  after,  behold,  he  was 
the  very  image  of  the  head  she  had  seen.  But 
still  she  could  not  make  out  what  her  dream 
signified,  till  the  news  came  to  her  of  the  tragedy 
of  Harper's  Ferry,  and  then  she  knew  the  two 
other  heads  were  his  two  sons.  She  was  in  New 
York  at  that  time,  and  on  the  day  of  the  affair  at 
Harper's  Ferry,  she  felt  her  usual  warning  that 
something  was  wrong — she  could  not  tell  what. 
Finally  she  told  her  hostess  that  it  must  be  Captain 
Brown  who  was  in  trouble,  and  that  they  should 
soon  hear  bad  news  from  him.  The  next  day's 
newspaper  brought  tidings  of  what  had  happened. 
"Her  last  visit  to  Maryland  was  made  after  this, 
in  December,  1860  ;  and  in  spite  of  the  agitated 
condition  of  the  country,  and  the  greater  watchful- 
ness of  the  slaveholders,  she  brought  away  seven 
fugitives,  one  of  them  an  infant,  which  must  be 
drugged  with  opium  to  keep  it  from  crying  on  the 
way.  and  so  revealing  the  hiding  place  of  the  party. 


SOME    >C'KNES    TX    THE 

She  brought  these  safely  to  New  York,  but  there  a 
new  difficulty  met  her.  It  was  the  mad  winter  of 
compromises,  when  State  after  State,  and  politician 
after  politician,  went  down  on  their  knees  to  beg 
the  South  not  to  secede.  The  hunting  of  fugitive 
slaves  began  again.  Mr.  Seward  went  over  to 
the  side  of  compromise.  He  knew  the  history 
of  this  poor  woman  ;  he  had  given  his  enemies 
a  hold  on  him,  by  dealing  with  her ;  it  was 
thought  he  would  not  scruple  to  betray  her.  The 
suspicion  was  an  unworthy  one,  for  though  the 
Secretary  could  betray  a  cause,  he  could  not  surely 
have  put  her  enemies  on  the  track  of  a  woman  who 
was  thus  in  his  power,  after  such  a  career  as  hers 
had  been.  But  so  little  confidence  was  then  felt  in 
Mr.  Seward,  by  men  who  had  voted  for  him  and 
with  him,  that  they  hurried  Harriet  off  to  Canada, 
sorely  against  her  will. 

"  She  did  not  long  remain  there.  The  war  broke 
out,  for  which  she  had  been  long  looking,  and  she 
hastened  to  her  New  England  friends  to  prepare 
for  another  expedition  to  Maryland,  to  bring  away 
the  last  of  her  family. 

"  Before  she  could  start,  however,  the  news  came 
of  the  capture  of  Port  Royal.  Instantly  she  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  going  there  and  working  among 


LIFE   OF    HARRIET   TUBMAN.  85 

her  people  on  the  islands  and  the  mainland.  Money 
was  given  her,  a  pass  was  secured  through  the 
agency  of  Governor  Andrew,  and  she  went  to  Beau- 
fort. There  she  has  made  herself  useful  in  many 
ways — has  been  employed  as  a  spy  by  General 
Hunter,  and  finally  has  piloted  Col.  Montgomery 
on  his  most  successful  expedition.  We  gave  some 
notice  of  this  fact  last  week.  Since  then  we  have 
received  the  following  letter,  dictated  by  her,  from 
which  it  appears  that  she  needs  some  contributions 
for  her  work.  We  trust  she  will  receive  them,  for 
none  has  better  deserved  it.  She  asks  nothing  for 
herself,  except  that  her  wardrobe  may  be  replen- 
ished, and  even  this  she  will  probably  share  with 
the  first  needy  person  she  meets. 

" '  BEAUFORT,  S.  C.,  June  30, 1868. 
*  *  *  "  '  Last  fall,  when  the  people  here  became 
very  much  alarmed  for  fear  of  an  invasion  from  the 
rebels,  all  my  clothes  were  packed  and  sent  with 
others  to  Hilton  Head,  and  lost ;  and  I  have  never 
been  able  to  get  any  trace  of  them  since.  I  was 
sick  at  the  time,  and  unable  to  look  after  them  my- 
self. I  want,  among  the  rest,  a  bloomer  dress, 
made  of  some  coarse,  strong  material,  to  wear  on 
expeditions.  In  our  late  expedition  up  the  Com- 


86  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

bahee  River,  in  coming  on  board  the  boat,  I  was 
carrying  two  pigs  for  a  poor  sick  woman,  who  had 
a  child  to  carry,  and  the  order  "  double  quick  "  was 
given,  and  I  started  to  run,  stepped  on  nay  dress,  it 
being  rather  long,  and  fell  and  tore  it  almost  off, 
so  that  when  I  got  on  board  the  boat,  there  was 
hardly  anything  left  of  it  but  shreds.  I  made  up 
my  mind  then  I  would  never  wear  a  long  dress  on 
another  expedition  of  the  kind,  but  would  have  a, 
bloomer  as  soon  as  I  could  get  it.  So  please  make 
this  known  to  the  ladies,  if  you  will,  for  I  expect  to 
have  use  for  it  very  soon,  probably  before  they 
can  get  it  to  me. 

" '  You  have,  without  doubt,  seen  a  fall  account  of 
the  expedition  I  refer  to.  Don't  you  think  we  col- 
ored people  are  entitled  to  some  credit  for  that  ex- 
ploit, under  the  lead  of  the  brave  Colonel  Montgom- 
ery ?  We  weakened  the  rebels  somewhat  on  the 
Combahee  River,  by  taking  and  bringing  away 
seven  hundred  and  fifty -six  head  of  their  most  val- 
uable live  stock,  known  up  in  your  region  as  "  con- 
trabands," and  this,  too,  without  the  loss  of  a  sin- 
gle life  on  our  part,  though  we  had  good  reason  to 
believe  that  a  number  of  rebels  bit  the  dust.  Of 
these  seven  hundred  and  fifty-six  contrabands, 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  87 

nearly  or  quite  all  the  able-bodied  men  have  joined 
the  colored  regiments  here. 

"  '  I  have  now  been  absent  two  years  almost,  and 
have  just  got  letters  from  my  friends  in  Auburn, 
urging  me  to  come  home.  My  father  and  mother  are 
old  and  in  feeble  health,  and  need  my  care  and  atten- 
tion. I  hope  the  good  people  there  will  not  allow 
them  to  suffer,  and  I  do  not  believe  they  will.  But  I 
do  not  see  how  I  am  to  leave  at  present  the  very  im- 
portant work  to  be  done  here.  Among  other  duties 
which  I  have,  is  that  of  looking  after  the  hospital 
here  for  contrabands.  Most  of  those  coming  from 
the  mainland  are  very  destitute,  almost  naked.  I 
am  trying  to  find  places  for  those  able  to  work, 
and  provide  for  them  as  best  I  can,  so  as  to  lighten 
the  burden  on  the  Government  as  much  as  possi- 
ble, while  at  the  same  time  they  learn  to  respect 
themselves  by  earning  their  own  living. 

" '  Remember  me  very  kindly  to  Mrs.  —  —  and  her 
daughters  ;  also,  if  you  will,  to  my  Boston  friends, 
Mrs.  C.,  Miss  H.,  and  especially  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
George  L.  Stearns,  to  whom  I  am  under  great 
obligations  for  their  many  kindnesses.  I  shall 
be  sure  to  come  and  see  you  all  if  I  live  to  go 
Xorth.  If  you  write,  direct  your  letter  to  the  care 
of  0.'  " 


88  SOME    SCENES   IN    THE 

In  the  Spring  of  1860,  Harriet  Tubman  was  re- 
quested by  Mr.  Gerrit  Smith  to  go  to  Boston  to 
attend  a  large  Anti-Slavery  meeting.     On  her  way, 
she  stopped  at  Troy  to  visit  a  Cousin,  and  while 
there,  the  colored   people  were   one  day  startled 
with  the  intelligence  that  a  fugitive  slave,  by  the 
name  of  Charles  Nalle,  had  been  followed  by  his 
master  (who  was    his   younger   brother,  and    not 
one  grain  whiter  than  he),  and  that  he  was  already 
in  the  hands  of  the  officers,  and  was  to  be  taken 
back  to  the  South.     The  instant  Harriet  heard  the 
news,  she  started  for  the  office  of  the  U.  S.  Com- 
missioner, scattering  the  tidings  as  she  went.     An 
excited   crowd    were    gathered   about    the   office, 
through  which  Harriet  forced  her  way,  and  rushed 
up  stairs  to  the  door  of  the  room  where  the  fugi- 
tive was  detained.     A  wagon  was  already  waiting 
before   the  door   to    carry  off  the   man,    but   the 
crowd  was  even  then  so  great,  and  in  such  a  state 
of  excitement,  that   the  officers    did   not  dare  to 
bring  the  man  down.     On  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street  stood  the  colored  people,  watching  the  win- 
dow where  they  could   see  Harriet's  sun-bonnet, 
and  feeling  assured  that  so  long  as  she  stood  there, 
the  fugitive  was  still  in  the  office.     Time  passed 
on,  and  he  did  not  appear.     "  They've  taken  him 


LIFE    OF    1IAKKIET    TUUMAX.  89 

out  another  way,  depend  upon  that,"  said  some  of 
the  colored  people.  "  No,"  replied  others,  "  there 
stands  '  Moses  '  yet,  and  as  long  as  she  is  there,  he 
is  safe."  Harriet,  now  seeing  the  necessity  for  a 
tremendous  effort  for  his  rescue,  sent  out  some 
little  boys  to  cry  fire.  The  bells  rang,  the  crowd 
increased,  till  the  whole  street  was  a  dense  mass  of 
people.  Agpln  and  again  the  officers  came  out  to 
try  and  clear  the  stairs,  and  make  a  way  to  take 
their  captive  down;  others  were  driven  down,  but 
Harriet  stood  her  ground,  her  head  bent  down,  and 
her  arms  folded.  "  Come,  old  woman,  you  must  get 
out  of  this,"  said  one  of  the  officers  ;  "  I  must  have 
the  way  cleared ;  if  you  can't  get  down  alone,  some 
one  will  help  you."  Harriet,  still  putting  on  a 
greater  appearance  of  decrepitude,  twitched  away 
from  him,  and  kept  her  place.  Offers  were  made 
to  buy  Charles  from  his  master,  who  at  first  agreed 
to  take  twelve  hundred  dollars  for  him  ;  but  when 
that  was  subscribed,  he  immediately  raised  the 
price  to  fifteen  hundred.  The  crowd  grew  more 
excited.  A  gentleman  raised  a  window  and  called 
out,  "  Two  hundred  dollars  for  his  rescue,  but  not 
one  cent  to  his  master !"  This  was  responded  to 
by  a  roar  of  satisfaction  from  the  crowd  below. 
At  length  the  officers  appeared,  and  announced  to 


90  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

the  crowd  that  if  they  would  open  a  lane  to  the 
wagon,  they  would  promise  to  bring  the  man  down 
the  front  way. 

The  lane  was  opened,  and  the  man  was  brought 
out — a  tall,  handsome,  intelligent  white  man,  with 
his  wrists  manacled  together,  walking  between  the 
U.  S.  Marshal  and  another  officer,  and  behind  him 
his  brother  and  his  master,  so  like  him  that  one 
could  hardly  be  told  from  the  other.  The  moment 
they  appeared,  Harriet  roused  from  her  stooping  pos- 
ture, threw  up  a  window,  arid  cried  to  her  friends  : 
"  Here  he  comes — take  him  !"  and  then  darted 
down  the  stairs  like  a  wild-cat.  She  seized  one 
officer  and  pulled  him  down,  then  another,  and 
tore  him  away  from  the  man ;  and  keeping  her 
arms  about  the  slave,  she  cried  to  her  friends : 
"  Drag  us  out !  Drag  him  to  the  river  !  Drown 
him  !  but  don't  let  them  have  him  !  "  They  were 
knocked  down  together,  and  while  down  she  tore 
off  her  sun-bonnet  and  tied  it  on  the  head  of  the 
fugitive.  When  he  rose,  only  his  head  could  be 
seen,  and  amid  the  surging  mass  of  people  the 
slave  was  no  longer  recognized,  while  the  master 
appeared  like  the  slave.  Again  and  again  they 
were  knocked  down,  the  poor  slave  utterly  help- 
less, with  his  manacled  wrists  streaming  with  blood. 


LLFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAX.  91 

Harriet's  outer  clothes  were  torn  from  her,  and 
even  her  stout  shoes  were  all  pulled  from  her  feet, 
yet  she  never  relinquished  her  hold  of  the  man, 
till  she  had  dragged  him  to  the  river,  where  he  was 
tumbled  into  a  boat,  Harriet  fo' lowing  in  a  ferry- 
boat to  the  other  side.  But  the  telegraph  was 
ahead  of  them,  and  as  soon  as  they  landed  he  was 
seized  and  hurried  from  her  sight.  After  a  time, 
some  school  children  came  hurrying  along,  and  to 
her  anxious  inquiries  they  answered,  "  He  is  up  in 
that  house,  in  the  third  story."  Harriet  rushed  up 
to  the  place.  Some  men  were  attempting  to  make 
their  way  up  the  stairs.  The  officers  were  firing 
dowTn,  and  two  men  were  lying  on  the  stairs,  who 
had  been  shot.  Over  their  bodies  our  heroine 
rushed,  and  with  the  help  of  others  burst  open  the 
door  of  the  room,  dragged  out  the  fugitive,  whom 
Harriet  carried  down  stairs  in  her  arms.  A  gen- 
tleman who  was  riding  by  with  a  fine  horse,  stop- 
ped to  ask  what  the  disturbance  meant ;  and  on 
hearing  the  story,  his  sympathies  seemed  to  be 
thoroughly  aroused  ;  he  sprang  from  his  wragon, 
calling  out,  "  That  is  a  blood-horse,  drive  him  till 
he  drops."  The  poor  man  was  hurried  in  ;  some  of 
his  friends  jumped  in  after  him,  and  drove  at  the 
most  rapid  rate  to  Schenectady, 


02  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

This  is  the  story  Harriet  told  to  the  writer.  By 
some  persons  it  seemed  too  wonderful  for  belief, 
and  an  attempt  was  made  to  corroborate  it.  Rev. 
Henry  Fowler,  who  was  at  the  time  at  Saratoga, 
kindly  volunteered  to  go  to  Troy  and  ascertain  the 
facts.  His  report  was,  that  he  had  had  a  long  in- 
terview with  Mr.  Townsend,  who  acted  during  the 
trial  as  counsel  for  the  slave,  that  he  had  given 
him  a  "  rich  narration,"  which  he  would  write  out 
the  next  week  for  this  little  book.  But  before  he 
was  to  begin  his  generous  labor,  and  while  engaged 
in  some  kind  efforts  for  the  prisoners  at  Auburn,  he 
was  stricken  down  by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  is 
for  a  long  time  debarred  from  labor. 


FUGITIVE  SLAVE  RESCUE  IN  TROY. 

From  the  Troy  Whig,  April  28,  1859. 

Yesterday  afternoon,  the  streets  of  this  city  and 
West  Troy  were  made  the  scenes  of  unexampled 
excitement.  For  the  first  time  since  the  passage 
of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  an  attempt  was  made 
here  to  carry  its  provisions  into  execution,  and  the 
result  was  a  terrific  encounter  between  the  officers 
and  the  prisoner's  friends,  the  triumph  of  mob  law, 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  93 

and  the  final  r:s';ue  of  the  fugitive.  Our  city  was 
thrown  into  a  grand  state  of  turmoil,  and  for  a 
time  every  other  topic  was  forgotten,  to  give  place 
to  this  new  excitement.  People  did  not  think  last 
evening  to  ask  who  was  nominated  at  Charleston, 
or  whether  the  news  of  the  Heenan  and  Sayers  bat- 
tle had  arrived — everything  was  merged  into  the 
fugitive  slave  case,  of  which  it  seems  the  end  is  not 

O 

yet. 

Charles  Nalle,  the  fugitive,  who  was  the  cause 
of  all  this  excitement,  was  a  slave  on  the  planta- 
tion of  B.  W.  Hansbnrough,  in  Culpepper  County, 
Virginia,  till  the  19th  of  October,  1858,  when  he 
made  his  escape,  and  went  to  live  in  Columbia, 
Pennsylvania,  A  wife  and  five  children  are  resid- 
ing there  now.  Xot  long  since  he  came  to  Sand- 
lake,  in  this  county,  and  resided  in  the  family  of 
Mr.  Crosby  until  about  three  weeks  ago.  Since 
that  time,  he  has  been  employed  as  coachman  by 
Uri  Gilbert,  Esq.,  of  this  city.  He  is  about  thirty 
years  of  age,  tall,  quite  light-complexioned,  and 
good-looking.  He  is  said  to  have  been  an  excel- 
lent and  faithful  servant. 

At  Sandlake,  we  understand  that  Nalle  was  of- 
ten seen  by  one  H.  F.  Averill,  formerly  connected 
with  one  of  the  papers  of  this  city,  who  commu- 


94  SOME    SCENES    IN   THE 

nicated  with  his  reputed  owner  in  Virginia,  and 
gave  the  information  that  led  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  whereabouts  of  the  fugitive.  Averill  wrote  let- 
ters for  him,  and  thus  obtained  an  acquaintance 
with  his  history.  Mr.  Hansborough  sent  on  an 
agent,  Henry  J.  Wall,  by  whom  the  necessary  pa- 
pers were  got  out  to  arrest  the  fugitive. 

Yesterday  morning  about  11  o'clock,  Charles 
'  Nalle  was  sent  to  procure  some  bread  for  the  family 
by  whom  he  was  employed.  He  failed  to  return. 
At  the  baker's,  he  was  arrested  by  Deputy  United 
States  Marshal  J.  W.  Holmes,  and  immediately  ta- 
ken before  United  States  Commissioner  Miles 
Beach.  The  son  of  Mr.  Gilbert,  thinking  it  strange 
that  he  did  not  come  back,  sent  to  the  house  of 
William  Henry,  on  Division  Street,  where  he  board- 
ed, and  his  whereabouts  was  discovered. 

The  examination  before  Commissioner  Beach 
was  quite  brief.  The  evidence  of  Averill  and  the 
agent  was  taken,  and  the  Commissioner  decided  to 
remand  Nalle  to  Virginia,  The  necessary  papers 
were  made  out  and  given  to  the  Marshal. 

By  this  time  it  was  two  o'clock,  and  the  fact  be- 
gan to  be  noised  abroad  that  there  was  a  fugitive 
slave  in  Mr.  Beach's  office,  corner  of  State  and 
First  Streets.  People  in  knots  of  ten  or  tweh 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  95 

collected  near  the  entrance,  looking  at  Nalle,  who 
could  be  seen  at  an  upper  window.  William 
Henry,  a  colored  man,  with  whom  Nalle  boarded, 
commenced  talking  from  the  curb-stone  in  a  loud 
voice  to  the  crowd.  He  uttered  such  sentences  as, 
"  There  is  a  fugitive  slave  in  that  office — pretty 
soon  you  will  see  him  come  forth.  He  is  going  to 
be  taken  down  South,  and  you  will  have  a  chance 
to  see  him.  He  is  to  be  taken  to  the  depot,  to  go 
to  Virginia  in  the  first  train.  Keep  watch  of  those 
stairs,  and  you  will  have  a  sight."  A  number  of 
women  kept  shouting,  crying,  and  by  loud  appeals 
excited  the  colored  persons  assembled. 

Still  the  crowd  grew  in  numbers.  Wagons 
halted  in  front  of  the  locality,  and  were  soon  piled 
with  spectators.  An  alarm  of  fire  was  sounded, 
and  hose  carriages  dashed  through  the  ranks  of 
men,  women,  and  boys  ;  but  they  closed  again,  and 
kept  looking  with  expectant  eyes  at  the  window 
where  the  negro  was  visible.  Meanwhile,  angry 
discussions  commenced.  Some  persons  agitated  a 
rescue,  and  others  favored  law  and  order.  Mr. 
Bi'ockway,  a  lawyer,  had  his  coat  torn  for  express- 
ing his  sentiments;  and  other  melees  kept  the  inter- 
est alive. 
' '  All  at  once  there  was  a  wild  hulloa,  and  every 


06  SOME    SCENES    IX    THE 

eye  was  turned  up  to  see  the  legs  and  part  of  the 
body  of  the  prisoner  protruding  from  the  second- 
story  window,  at  which  he  was  endeavoring  to 
escape.  Then  arose  a  shout !  "  Drop  him !  "  "  Catch 
him  !  "  "  Hurrah  !  "  But  the  attempt  was  a  fruitless 
one,  for  somebody  in  the  office  pulled  Nalle  back 
again,  amid  the  shouts  of  a  hundred  pair  of  lungs. 
The  crowd  at  this  time  numbered  nearly  a  thousand 
persons.  Many  of  them  were  black,  and  a  good 
share  were  of  the  female  sex.  They  blocked  up 
State  Street  from  First  Street  to  the  alley,  and  kept 
surging  to  and  fro. 

Martin  I.  Townsend,  Esq.,  who  acted  as  counsel 
for  the  fugitive,  did  not  arrive  in  the  Commissioner's 
office  until  a  decision  had  been  rendered.  He  im- 
mediately went  before  Judge  Gould,  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  procured  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  in  the 
usual  form,  returnable  immediately.  This  was  given 
Deputy  Sheriff  Nathaniel  Upham,  who  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  Commissioner  Beach's  office,  and  served 
it  on  Holmes.  Very  injudiciously,  the  officers 
proceeded  at  once  to  Judge  Gould's  office,  although 
it  w,as  evident  they  would  have  to  pass  through  an 
excited,  unreasonable  crowd.  As  soon  as  the  offi- 
cers and  their  prisoner  emerged  from  the  door,  an 
old  negro,  who  had  been  standing  at  the  bottom  of 


LIFE   OF    HARRIET   TUBMAN.  97 

the  stairs,  shouted,  "  Here  they  come,"  and  the  crowd 
made  a  terrific  rush  at  the  party. 

From  the  office  of  Commissioner  Beach,  in  the 
Mutual  Building,  to  that  of  Judge  Gould,  in  Con- 
gress Street,  is  less  than  two  blocks,  but  it  was  made 
a  regular  battle-field.  The  moment  the  prisoner 
emerged  from  the  doorway,  in  custody  of  Deputy- 
Sherift"  Upham,  Chief  of  Police  Quin,  Officers 
Cleveland  and  Holmes,  the  crowd  made  one  grand 
charge,  and  those  nearest  the  prisoner  seized  him 
violently,  with  the  intention  of  pulling  him  away 
from  the  officers,  but  they  were  foiled ;  and  down 
First  to  Congress  Street,  and  up  the  latter  in  front 
of  Judge  Gould's  chambers,  went  the  surging  mass. 
Exactly  what  did  go  on  in  the  crowd,  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  say,  but  the  pulling,  hauling,  mauling,  and 
shouting,  gave  evidences  of  frantic  efforts  on  the 
part  of  the  rescuers,  and  a  stern  resistance  from 
the  conservators  of  the  law.  In  front  of  Judge 
Gould's  office  the  combat  was  at  its  height.  No 
stones  or  other  missiles  were  used ;  the  battle  was 
fist  to  fist.  We  believe  an  order  was  given  to  take 
the  prisoner  the  other  way,  and  there  w^as  a  grand 
rush  towards  the  West,  past  First  and  River  Streets, 
as  far  as  Dock  Street.  All  this  time  there  was  a 
continual  melee.  Many  of  the  officers  were  hurt — 


98  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

among  them  Mr.  Uphani,  whose  object  was  solely 
to  do  his  duty  by  taking  Nalle  before  Judge  Gould 
in  accordance  with  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  A 
number  in  the  crowd  were  more  or  less  hurt,  and 
it  is  a  wonder  that  these  were  not  badly  injured,  as 
pistols  were  drawn  and  chisels  used. 

The  battle  had  raged  as  far  as  the  corner  of  Dock 
and  Congress  Streets,  and  the  victory  remained  with 
the  rescuers  at  last.  The  officers  were  completely 
worn  out  with  their  exertions,  and  it  was  impossible 
to  continue  their  hold  upon  him  any  longer.  Nalle 
was  at  liberty.  His  friends  rushed  him  down  Dock 
Street  to  the  lower  ferry,  where  there  was  a  skiff 
lying  ready  to  start.  The  fugitive  was  put  in,  the 
ferryman  rowed  off,  and  amid  the  shouts  of  hundreds 
who  lined  the  banks  of  the  river,  Nalle  was  carried 
into  Albany  County. 

As  the  skiff  landed  in  West  Troy,  a  negro  sym- 
pathizer waded  up  to  the  waist,  and  pulled  Nalle 
out  of  the  boat.  He  went  up  the  hill  alone,  how- 
ever, and  there  who  should  he  meet  but  Constable 
Becker  ?  The  latter  official  seeing  a  man  with 
manacles  on,  considered  it  his  duty  to  arrest  him. 
He  did  so,  and  took  him  in  a  wagon  to  the  office  of 
Justice  Stewart,  on  the  second  floor  of  the  corner 
building  near  the  ferry.  The  Justice  was  absent. 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  99 

When  the  crowd  on  the  Troy  bank  had  seen 
Nalle  safely  landed,  it  was  suggested  that  he  might 
be  recaptured.  Then  there  was  another  rush  made 
for  the  steam  ferry-boat,  which  carried  over  about 
400  persons,  and  left  as  many  more — a  few  of  the 
latter  being  soused  in  their  efforts  to  get  on  the 
boat.  On  landing  in  West  Troy,  there,  sure  enough, 
was  the  prisoner,  locked  up  in  a  strong  office,  pro- 
tected by  Officers  Becker,  Brown  and  Morrison, 
and  the  door  barricaded. 

Not  a  moment  was  lost.  Up  stairs  went  a  score 
or  more  of  resolute  men — the  rest  "  piling  in"  pro- 
miscuously, shouting  and  execrating  the  officers. 
Soon  a  stone  flew  against  the  door — then  another — 
and  bang,  bang  !  went  off  a  couple  of  pistols,  but 
the  officers  who  fired  them  took  good  care  to  aim 
pretty  high.  The  assailants  were  forced  to  retreat 
for  a  moment.  "  They  've  got  pistols,"  said  one. 
"  Who  cares  ?  "  was  the  reply ;  "  they  can  only  kill 
a  dozen  of  us — come  on."  More  stones  and  more 
pistol-shots  ensued.  At  last  the  door  was  pulled 
open  by  an  immense  negro,  and  in  a  moment  he 
was  felled  by  a  hatchet  in  the  hands  of  Deputy- 
Sheriff  Morrison ;  but  the  body  of  the  fallen  man 
blocked  up  the  door  so  that  it  could  not  be  shut, 
and  a  friend  of  the  prisoner  pulled  him  out.  Poor 


100  SOME    SCENES    IN   THE 

fellow !    he   might   well    say,  "  Save  me    from   my 
friends."     Amid  the  pulling  and  hauling,  the  iron 
had  cut  his  arms,  which  were  bleeding  profusely, 
and  he  could  hardly  walk,  owing  to  fatigue. 
He  has  since  arrived  safely  in  Canada. 


Statements  made  by  Martin  I.  Townsend,  Esq., 
of  Troy,  who  was  counsel  for  the  fugitive, 
Charles  Nalle. 

Nalle  is  an  octoroon ;  his  wife  has  the  same  in- 
fusion of  Caucasian  blood.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  her  master,  and  had,  with  her  sister,  been  bred 
by  him  in  his  family,  as  his  own  child.  When  the 
father  died,  both  of  these  daughters  were  married 
and  had  large  families  of  children.  Under  the 
highly  Christian  national  laws  of  "Old  Virgiuny," 
these  children  were  the  slaves  of  their  grandfather. 
The  old  man  died,  leaving  a  will,  whereby  he  manu- 
mitted his  daughters  and  their  children,  and  pro- 
vided for  the  purchase  of  the  freedom  of  their  hus- 
bands. The  manumission  of  the  children  and 
grandchildren  took  effect ;  but  the  estate  was  insuf- 
ficient to  purchase  the  husbands  of  his  daughters, 
and  the  father  of  his  grandchildren.  The  manu- 
mitted, by  another  Christian,  "  conservative,"  and 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET   TUBMAISL, 


"  national  "  provision  of  law,  were  forced  to  leave 
the  State,  w^ile  the  slave  husbands  remained  in 
slavery.  ISTalle  and  his  brother-in-law  were  allowed 
for  a  while  to  visit  their  families  outside  Virginia 
about  once  a  year,  but  were  at  length  ordered  to 
provide  themselves  with  new  wives,  as  they  would 
be  allowed  to  visit  their  former  ones  no  more.  It 
was  after  this  that  Nalle  and  his  brother-in-law 
started  for  the  land  of  freedom,  guided  by  the 
steady  light  of  the  north  star.  Thank  God,  neither 
family  now  need  fear  any  earthly  master  or  the 
bay  of  the  blood-hound  dogging  their  fugitive  steps. 

Nalle  returned  to  Troy  with  his  family  about 
July,  1860,  and  resided  with  them  there  for  more 
than  seven  years.  They  are  all  now  residents  of 
the  city  of  Washington,  D.  C.  Nalle  and  his  family 
are  persons  of  refined  manners,  and  of  the  highest 
respectability.  Several  of  his  children  are  red- 
haired,  and  a  stranger  would  discover  no  trace  of 
African  blood  in  their  complexions  or  features.  It 
was  the  head  of  this  family  whom  H.  F.  Averill 
proposed  to  doom  to  returnless  exile  and  life-long 
slavery. 

When  Nalle  was  brought  from  Commissioner 
Beach's  office  into  the  street,  Harriet  Tubman,  who 
had  been  standing  with  the  excited  crowd,  rushed 


tt02c   .  ,  <  SOME    SCENES    IN    THE 

amongst  the  foremost  to  Nalle,  and  running  one 
of  her  arms  around  his  manacled  arm,  held  on  to 
him  without  ever  loosening  her  hold  through  the 
more  than  half-hour's  struggle  to  Judge  Gould's 
office,  and  from  Judge  Gould's  office  to  the  dock, 
where  Nalle's  liberation  was  accomplished.  In  the 
melee,  she  was  repeatedly  beaten  over  the  head 
with  policemen's  clubs,  but  she  never  for  a  moment 
released  her  hold,  but  cheered  Nalle  and  his  friends 
with  her  voice,  and  struggled  with  the  officers  un- 
til they  were  literally  worn  out  with  their  exer- 
tions, and  Nalle  was  separated  from  them. 

True,  she  had  strong  and  earnest  helpers  in  her 
struggle,  some  of  whom  had  white  faces  as  well  as 
human  hearts,  and  are  now  in  Heaven.  But  she 
exposed  herself  to  the  fury  of  the  sympathizers 
with  slavery,  without  fear,  and  suffered  their  blows 
without  flinching.  Harriet  crossed  the  river  with 
the  crowd,  in  the  ferry-boat,  and  when  the  men 
who  led  the  assault  upon  the  door  of  Judge  Stew- 
art's office,  were  stricken  down,  Harriet  and  a 
number  of  other  colored  women  rushed  over  their 
bodies,  brought  Nalle  out,  and  putting  him  in  the 
first  wagon  passing,  smarted  him  for  the  West. 

A  livery  team,  driven  by  a  colored  man,  was  im- 
mediately s-ent  on  to  relieve  the  other,  and  Xalle 


LIFE    OF    HARRIET    TUBMAN.  103 

was  seen  about  Troy  no  more  until  lie  returned  a 
free  man  by  purchase  from  his  master.  Harriet 
also  disappeared,  and  the  crowd  dispersed.  How 
she  came  to  be  in  Troy  that  day,  is  entirely  un- 
known to  our  citizens ;  and  where  she  hid  herself 
after  the  rescue,  is  equally  a  mystery.^  But  her 
struggle  was  in  the  sight  of  a  thousand,  perhaps 
of  five  thousand  spectators. 

This  woman  of  whom  you  have  been  reading  is 
poor,  and  partially  disabled  from  her  injuries  ;  yet 
she  supports  cheerfully  and  uncomplainingly  her- 
self and  her  old  parents,  and  always  has  several 
poor  children  in  her  house,  who  are  dependent  en- 
tirely upon  her  exertions.  At  present  she  has  three 
of  these  children  for  whom  she  is  providing,  while 
their  parents  are  working  to  pay  back  money  bor- 
rowed to  bring  them  on.  She  also  maintains  by 
her  exertions  among  the  good  people  of  Auburn, 
two  schools  of  freedmen  at  the  South,  providing 
them  teachers  and  sending  them  clothes  and  books. 
She  never  asks  for  anything  for  herself,  but  she 
does  ask  the  charity  of  the  public  for  "her  people." 

For  them  her  tears  will  fall, 

For  them  her  prayers  ascend  ; 
To  them  her  toils  and  cares  be  given, 

Till  toils  and  cares  will  end. 

If  any  persons  are  disposed  to  aid  her  in  her  be- 


104 


LIFE   OF    HARRIET   TUBMAN. 


nevolent  efforts,  they  may  send  donations  to  Rev. 
S.  M.  Hopkins,  Professor  in  the  Auburn  Theologi- 
cal Seminary,  who  will  make  such  disposition  of 
the  funds  sent  as  may  be  designated  by  the  donors. 


APPENDIX. 


A  few  circumstances  having  come  out  in  conver- 
sation with  Harriet,  they  are  added  here,  as  they 
may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader. 

On  asking  Harriet  particularly  as  to  the  age  of 
her  mother,  she  answered,  "Well,  I'll  tell  you,  Mis- 
sis. Twenty-three  years  ago,  in  Maryland,  I  paid 
a  lawyer  $5  to  look  up  the  will  of  my  mother's 
first  master.  He  looked  back  sixty  years,  and  said 
it  was  time  to  give  up.  I  told  him  to  go  back 
furder.  He  went  back  sixty-five  years,  and  there 
he  found  the  will — giving  the  girl  Ritty  to  his 
grand-daughter  (Mary  Patterson),  to  serve  her 
and  her  offspring  till  she  was  forty-five  years  of  age. 
This  grand-daughter  died  soon  after,  unmarried ; 
and  as  there  was  no  provision  for  Ritty,  in  case  of 
her  death,  she  was  actually  emancipated  at  that 
time.  But  no  one  informed  her  of  the  fact,  and  she 
and  her  dear  children  remained  in  bondage  till 
emancipated  by  the  courage  and  determination  of 


108  APPENDIX. 

this  heroic  daughter  and  sister.  The  old  woman 
must  then,  it  seems,  be  ninety-eight  years  of  age, 
and  the  old  man  has  probably  numbered  as  many 
years.  And  yet  these  old  people,  living  out  beyond 
the  toll-gate,  on  the  South  Street  road,  Auburn, 
come  in  every  Sunday — more  than  a  mile — to  the 
Central  Church.  To  be  sure,  deep  slumbers  settle 
down  upon  them  as  soon  as  they  are  seated,  which 
continue  undisturbed  till  the  congregation  is  dis- 
missed ;  but  they  have  done  their  best,  and  who  can 
doubt  that  they  receive  a  blessing.  Immediately 
after  this  they  go  to  class-meeting  at  the  Methodist 
Church.  Then  they  wait  for  a  third  service,  and 
after  that  start  out  home  again. 

On  asking  Harriet  where  they  got  anything  to 
eat  on  Sunday,  she  said,  in  her  quiet  way,  "  Oh ! 
de  ole  folks  nebber  eats  anyting  on  Sunday ,  Missis  ! 
We  nebber  has  no  food  to  get  for  dem  on  Sunday. 
Dey  always  fasts  ;  and  dey  nebber  eats  anyting  on 
Fridays.  Good  Friday,  an'  five  Fridays  hand 
gwine  from  Good  Friday,  my  fader  nebber  eats  or 
drinks,  all  day — fasting  for  de  five  bleeding  wounds 
ob  Jesus.  All  the  oder  Fridays  ob  de  year  he  neb- 
ber eats  till  de  sun  goes  down;  den  he  takes  a 
little  tea  an'  a  piece  ob  bread."  "  But  is  he  a 
Roman  Catholic,  Harriet  ?  "  "  Oh  no,  Misses  ;  he 


APPENDIX.  109 

does  it  for  conscience  •  we  was  taught  to  do  so 
down  South.  He  says  if  he  denies  himself  for  the 
sufferings  of  his  Lord  an'  Master,  Jesus  will  sustain 
him." 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  Harriet  never  asks 
anything  for  herself,  but  whenever  her  people 
were  in  trouble,  or  she  felt  impelled  to  go  South 
to  guide  to  freedom  friend  or  brother,  or  father 
and  mother,  if  she  had  not  time  to  work  for  the 
money,  she  was  persistent  till  she  got  it  from 
somebody.  When  she  received  one  of  her  inti- 
mations that  the  old  people  were  in  trouble,  and 
it  was  time  for  her  to  go  to  them,  she  asked  the 
Lord  where  she  should  go  for  the  money.  She 
was  in  some  way,  as  she  supposed,  directed  to  the 
office  of  a  certain  gentleman  in  New  York.  When 
she  left  the  house  of  her  friends  to  go  there,  she 
said,  "  I'm  gwine  to  Mr.  -  — 's  office,  an'  I  ain't 
gwine  to  lebe  there,  an'  I  ain't  gwine  to  eat  or 
drink  till  I  git  enough  money  to  take  me  down 
after  the  ole  people." 

She  went  into  this  gentleman's  office. 

"  What  do  you  want,  Harriet  ?  "  was  the  first 
greeting. 

"  I  want  some  money,  sir." 

"  You  do  ?     How  much  do  you  want  ?  " 


110  APPENDIX. 

"  I  want  twenty  dollars,  sir." 

"  Twenty  dollars  f  Who  told  you  to  come  here 
for  twenty  dollars  ?  " 

"  De  Lord  tole  me,  sir." 

"  Well,  I  guess  the  Lord's  mistaken  this  time." 

"I  guess  he  isn't,  sir.  Anyhow  I'm  gwine  to 
sit  here  till  I  git  it." 

So  she  sat  down  and  went  to  sleep.  All  the 
morning  and  all  the  afternoon  she  sat  there  still, 
sleeping  and  rousing  up — sometimes  finding  the 
office  full  of  gentlemen — sometimes  finding  herself 
alone.  Many  fugitives  were  passing  through  New 
York  at  that  time,  and  those  who  came  in  sup- 
posed that  she  was  one  of  them,  tired  out  and 
resting.  Sometimes  she  would  be  roused  up  with 
the  words,  "  Come,  Harriet,  you  had  better  go. 
There's  no  money  for  you  here."  "  No,  sir.  I'm 
not  gwine  till  I  git  my  twenty  dollars." 

She  does  not  know  all  that  happened,  for  deep 
sleep  fell  upon  her;  but  probably  her  story  was 
whispered  about,  and  she  roused  at  last  to  find 
herself  the  happy  possessor  of  sixty  dollars,  which 
had  been  raised  among  those  who  came  into  the 
office.  She  went  on  her  way  rejoicing,  to  bring  her 
old  parents  from  the  land  of  bondage.  She  found 
that  her  father  was  to  be  tried  the  next  Monday, 


APPENDTX.  Ill 

for  helping  off  slaves ;  so,  as  she  says,  she  "  re- 
moved his  trial  to  a  higher  court,"  and  hurried 
him  off  to  Canada.  One  more  little  incident, 
which,  it  is  hoped,  may  not  be  offensive  to  the 
young  lady  to  whom  it  alludes,  may  be  mentioned 
here,  showing  Harriet's  extreme  delicacy  in  asking 
anything  for  herself.  Last  winter  ('6*7  and  '68), 
as  we  all  know,  the  snow  was  very  deep  for 
months,  and  Harriet  and  the  old  people  were  com- 
pletely snowed-in  in  their  little  home.  The  old 
man  was  laid  up  with  rheumatism,  and  Harriet 
could  not  leave  home  for  a  long  time  to  procure 
supplies  of  corn,  if  t  she  could  have  made  her  way 
into  the  city.  At  length,  stern  necessity  com- 
pelled her  to  plunge  through  the  drifts  to  the 
city,  and  she  appeared  at  the  house  of  one  of  her 
firm  and  fast  friends,  and  was  directed  to  the  room 
of  one  of  the  young  ladies.  She  began  to  walk  up 
and  down,  as  she  always  does  whe'n  in  trouble. 
At  length  she  said,  "Miss  Annie?"  "What, 
Harriet  ?  "  A  long  pause ;  then  again,  "  Miss 
Annie?"  "Well,  what  is  it,  Harriet?"  This 
was  repeated  four  times,  when  the  young  lady, 
looking  up,  saw  her  eyes  filled  with  tears.  She 
then  insisted  on  knowing  what  she  wanted.  And 
with  a  great  effort,  she  said,  "  Miss  Annie,  could 


112  APPENDIX. 

you  lend  me  a  quarter  till  Monday?  I  never 
asked  it  before."  Kind  friends  immediately  sup- 
plied all  the  wants  of  the  family,  but  on  Monday 
Harriet  appeared  with  the  quarter  she  had  bor- 
rowed. 

But  though  so  timid  for  herself,  she  is  bold 
enough  when  the  wants  of  her  race  are  concerned. 
Even  now,  while  friends  are  trying  to  raise  the 
means  to  publish  this  little  book  for  her,  she  is 
going  around  with  the  greatest  zeal  and  interest 
to  raise  a  subscription  for  her  Freed  men's  Fair. 
She  called  on  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Seward,  the  other 
day,  for  a  subscription  to  this  object.  He  said, 
"  Harriet,  you  have  worked  for  others  long  enough. 
It  is  time  you  should  think  of  yourself.  If  you 
ask  for  a  donation  for  yourself,  I  will  give  it  to 
you ;  but  I  will  not  help  you  to  rob  yourself  for 
others." 

Harriet's  charity  for  all  the  human  race  is  un- 
bounded. It  embraces  even  the  slaveholder — it 
sympathizes  even  with  Jeff.  Davis,  and  rejoices  nt 
his  departure  to  other  lands,  with  some  prospect 
of  peace  for  the  future.  She  says,  "  I  tink  dar's 
many  a  slaveholder  '11  git  to  Heaven.  Dey  don't 
know  no  better.  Dey  acts  up  to  de  light  dey  hab. 
Yon  take  dat  sweet  little  child  (pointing  to  a 


APPENDIX.  113 

lonely  baby) — 'pears  more  like  an  angel  dan  any- 
ting  else — take  her  down  dere,  let  her  nebber 
know  nothing  'bout  niggers  but  they  was  made 
to  be  whipped,  an'  she  '11  grow  up  to  use  the  whip 
on  'em  jus'  like  de  rest.  No,  Missus,  its  because 
dey  don't  know  no  better."  May  God  give  the 
people  to  whom  the  story  of  this  woman  shall 
come,  a  like  charity,  so  that  through  their  kind- 
ness the  last  days  of  her  stormy  and  troubled  life 
may  be  calm  and  peaceful. 


ESSAY  ON  WOMAN-WHIPPING. 


THE  subject  of  the  preceding  memoir  appears  to 
have  retained  all  her  life  a  feeling  recollection  of 
the  effects  of  the  whip  in  the  hands  of  her  youth- 
ful mistress.  Considering  the  vigor  and  frequency 
of  the  application,  this  is  not  strange.  Infinite 
cuffs  and  thwacks,  more  or  less,  pass  into  oblivion ; 
but  a  flogging  with  a  raw-hide  is  not  easily  forgot- 
ten. A  slave's  experience  of  the  whip,  however, 
was  not  confined  to  his  or  to  her  early  days.  A 
slave  race  must  be  controlled  by  fear  and  pain ; 
and  the  discipline,  it  was  naturally  thought,  could 
not  begin  too  early.  From  childhood  to  old  age 
they  were  liable  to  stripes,  for  any  reason  or  for  no 
reason.  If  the  slave  was  guilty  of  no  fault,  he  might 
be  whipped,  as  appears  from  the  preceding  narra- 
tive, merely  to  impress  him  with  a  salutary  sense 
of  the  master's  right  and  disposition  to  whip. 

A  Northern  man,  born  and  bred  under  the  influ- 
ences of  freedom  and  the  protection  of  law,  and 


118  ESSAY    ON    WOMAN-WHIPPING. 

made  acquainted  with  slaver)7  in  its  old  palmy  days, 
can  never  forget  his  sensations  at  his  first  sight  of 
a  slave-whipping.  The  utmost  he  has  ever  seen 
in  the  way  of  corporal  punishment  has  been  the 
switching  of. some  obstreperous  child  by  competent 
authority  ;  a  discipline  administered  with  prudence 
and  moderation  ;  drawing  no  blood  and  leaving  no 
scar.  He  now  sees  an  adult  person  stripped  to  the 
skin,  his  arms  tied  at  their  utmost  stretch  above 
his  head,  or  across  some  object  which  binds  him  in- 
to a  posture  the  best  adapted  to  feel  the  full  force 
of  each  blow.  The  instrument  of  suffering  is  not  a 
birch  twig  or  a  ferule,  but  a  twisted  raw-hide,  or 
heavy  "  black  snake ; "  either  of  them  highly  ef- 
fective weapons  in  the  hands  of  a  stout  executioner. 
Our  Northern  novice  stands  horror-stricken  and 
paralyzed  for  a  moment ;  but  at  the  second  or  third 
blow,  and  the  piteous  scream  of  Oh  Lord  !  Massa  ! 
which  follows,  he  digs  his  fingers  into  his  ears,  and 
rushes  to  the  furthest  corner  of  his  tent  or  dwelling, 
to  escape  the  scene.  Even  if  he  could  have  en- 
dured the  sight  and  sound  a  while  longer,  he  dared 
not.  The  horror  in  his  face,  and  perhaps  the  irre- 
pressible word  or  act  of  interference  was  too  sure 
to  bring  upon  himself  the  vengeance  due  to  a 
Abolitionist."  The  little  knot  of  Southern 


ESSAY   OX    WOMAN- WHIPPING.  119 

habitues  look  on  with  critical  inspection,  squirting 
tobacco-juice,  with  their  hands  in  their  pockets. 

If  the  subject  is  a  woman,  the  interest  rises 
higher,  and  the  crowd  would  be  greater.  There  is 
a  refinement  of  cruelty  in  the  whipping  of  a  woman 
which  used  to  stimulate  agreeably  the  dull  sensi- 
bilities of  a  Southern  mob.  A  dish  of  torture  had 
to  be  peppered  very  high  to  please  the  palates  of 
those  epicures  in  brutality.  The  helplessness  and 
terror  of  the  victim,  the  exposure  of  her  person,  the 
opportunity  for  coarse  jests  at  her  expense,  all  com- 
bined to  make  it  a  scene  of  rare  enjoyment.  How 
the  "  chivalric"  mind  can  endure  the  loss  of  such 
gratifications  it  is  difficult  to  conceive.  The  Ro- 
mans were  weaned  from  crucifixions  and  gladiato- 
rial combats  very  gradually.  The  process  of  ame- 
liorating criminal  law  and  humanizing  public  senti- 
ment went  on  for  more  than  two  centuries.  It  was 
full  four  hundred  years  after  the  epoch  of  our  re- 
demption when  the  monk  Telemachus  threw  him- 
self between  the  hired  swordsmen,  whom  a  Christian 
audience  was  applauding,  and  laid  down  his  own 
life  to  wind  up  the  spectacle.  But  the  bloody 
morsel  has  been  snatched  from  the  mouths  of  the 
"  chivalry"  at  one  clutch.  No  wonder  their  mor- 
tification vents  itself  in  weeping  and  wailing,  and 


120  ESSAY   ON    WOMAN- WHIPPING. 

knashing  of  teeth,  and  in  such  miscellaneous  atroci- 
ties as  their  "  Ku-Klux-Klans"  can  venture  to  in- 
flict on  helpless  freedmen  and  radicals.* 

A  recent  Southern  paper  (the  Virginia  Adver- 
tiser) finds  a  providential  provision  for  the  enslave- 
ment of  the  negro  race  in  the  thickness  of  their 
skulls,  enabling  them  to  bear  without  injury  the 
blows  inflicted  in  sudden  rage  by  their  masters ; 
a  suggestive  confession,  by  the  way,  of  the  influence 
of  slavery  on  the  tempers  of  the  slaveholders. 
The  whole  race  must  be  prepared,  it  seems,  for 
blows  on  the  head  with  Avhatever  weapon  came  to 
hand !  But  admitting  the  thickness  of  the  skulls, 
it  appears  from  an  incident  in  the  preceding  pages, 
as  well  as  from  other  known  instances,  that  the 
inventive  genius  of  the  slave-whipping  chivalry 
contrived  to  baffle  the  humane  designs  of  Provi- 
dence— a  negro  skull  well  padded  with  wool  might 
bear  without  injury  the  blow  of  a  boot-jack  or  a 
hammer,  and  yet  prove  insufficient  to  resist  the 
impact  of  a  musket-ball  or  a  ten-pound  weight. 

*  It  is  curiously  illustrative  of  the  mixed  childishness  and  ferocity 
which  characterizes  the  Southern  civilization,  that  this  secret  associa- 
tion of  ruffians,  organized  to  terrorize  the  loyal  South,  styles  itself  by 
an  absurd,  mis-spelled  name,  and  goes  about  on  its  nightly  work  of 
murder  in  harlequin  costume,  with  one  of  its  leaders  acting  the  part  of 
ghost,  to  frighten  the  superstitious  blacks.  Some  more  courageous 
freedman  occasionally  makes  a  bonaflde  ghost  of  this  masquerade. 


ESSAY    ON    WOMAN-WHIPPING.  121 

It  is  of  no  avail  to  plate  a  vessel  with  six  inches  of 
iron,  if  she  is  to  be  pounded  with  bolts  that  can 
mash  an  eight-inch  armor.  Apparently,  Divine 
Providence  stopped  short  of  the  necessary  security 
for  the  predestined  slave  race.  It  should  have  ar- 
ranged for  a  progressive  thickening  of  the  negro 
cranium  to  meet  the  increase  of  violence  on  the 
part  of  the  master ;  until  at  length  slavery  might 
be  encountered  with  a  difficulty  like  that  which 
besets  naval  gunnery,  viz.,  what  would  be  the  result 
if  an  infrangible  African  skull  should  be  beaten  by 
an  irresistable  Caucasian  club  ? 

But  even  this  Virginia  laudator  temporis  acti, 
this  melancholy  mourner  at  the  tomb  of  defunct 
slavery,  does  not  allege  any  such  Providential  thick- 
ening of  the  negro  cuticle  as  to  amount  to  a  satis- 
factory anaesthesia  against  whipping.  It  has  never 
been  proven  that  a  Virginia  paddle  or  a  Georgia 
raw-hide  well  applied  did  not  make  the  blood  spirt 
as  freely  through  a  black  skin  as  through  a  white 
one ;  nor  has  any  Southern  savant  of  the  Nott  and 
Gliddon  school  shown  that  there  was  not  the  same 
relative  delicacy  of  organization  in  the  slave  woman 
as  in  the  free.  A  black  woman  was,  relatively  to 
the  black  man,  the  more  delicate  subject  for  the 
whip ;  something  more  sensitive  to  the  shame  of 


122  ESSAY    ON    WOMAN-WHIPPING. 

stripping,  more  liable  to  terror,  and  of  rather  softer 
fiber ;  so  that  the  lash  went  deeper  both  into  soul 
and  sense  than  in  the  case  of  her  sable  brother. 

And  this  fact  made  the  black  woman  a  very 
suitable  subject  for  the  whip  in  the  hands  of  the 
Southern  lady.  To  succeed  in  slave-whipping  as 
in  any  other  fine  art,  the  Horatian  canon  must  be 
regarded,  which  requires  us  to  take  a  subject 
suited  to  our  strength.  It  would  have  been  unrea- 
sonable, in  ordinary  cases,  to  expect  a  "  dark-eyed 
daughter  of  the  South  "  to  flog  handsomely  a  stal- 
wart negro  man ;  she  sometimes  did  it,  after  he  had 
been  well  tied  up.  But  the  slave  girl  was  exactly 
suited  to  her  flagellating  capacities.  A  good  many 
women,  North  as  well  as  South,  manifest  a  tendency 
to  become  tyrants  in  their  own  households,  and 
love  to  bully  their  servants.  But  this  is  an  evil  of  a 
mitigated  nature  in  Northern  society.  The  stupid- 
est "  help  "  in  the  kitchen  knows  she  is  safe  from 
any  other  lash  than  her  mistress'  tongue,  and  is 
commonly  an  adept  at  the  business  of  answering 
back  again. 

But  the  Southern  mistress  was  a  domestic  devil 
with  horns  and  claws ;  selfish,  insolent,  accustomed 
to  be  waited  on  for  everything.  She  grew  up  with 
the  instinct  of  tyranny — to  punish  violently  the 


ESSAY    ON    WOMAN-WHIPPING.  123 

least  neglect  or  disobedience  in  her  servants.  The 
variable  temper  of  girlhood,  not  ugly  unless 
thwarted,  became  in  the  "Southern  matron"  a 
chronic  fury.  She  was  her  own  "  overseer,"  and, 
like  that  out-door  functionary,  had  her  own  scepter, 
which  she  did  not  bear  in  vain.  The  raw-hide  lay 
upon  the  shelf  within  easy  reach,  and  her  arm  was 
vigorous  with  exercise.  The  breaking  of  a  plate, 
the  spilling  of  a  cup,  the  misplacing  of  a  pin  in  her 
dress,  or  any  other  misadventure  in  the  chapter  of 
accidents,  was  promptly  illustrated  with  numerous 
cuts.  The  lash  well  laid  on  the  shoulders  of  a 
black  femme-de-chambre,  or  screaming  child,  was  an 
agreeable  titillation  of  the  nervous  sensibilities  of 
the  languid  Creole ;  a  headache,  or  a  heartache, 
transferred  itself  through  the  medium  of  the  raw- 
hide to  the  back  of  Phillis  or  Araminta.  They  no 
doubt  whipped  sometimes,  like  Mr.  Squeers,  for  the 
mere  fun  of  the  thing.  It  is  an  exquisite  pleasure 
to  a  cowardly  nature  to  have  some  creature  to  tor- 
ment ;  and  there  is  this  nemesis  about  cruelty  that 
it  engenders  an  appetite  which,  like  that  for  alcoholic 
stimulents,  for  ever  demands  increased  indulgence. 
It  was  the  vindictive  woman's  nature  in  the 
South  that  protracted  and  gave  added  ferocity  to 
the  rebellion.  These  woman-whipping  wives  and 


124  ESSAY   ON   WOMAN-WHIPPING. 

mothers  it  was  who  hounded  on  the  masculine 
chivalry  to  the  work  of  exterminating  the  "  accursed 
Yankees,"  and  thus  made  their  own  punishment  so 
much  sorer  than  it  need  have  been. 

The  mention  of  these  amiable  Southern  charac- 
teristics cannot  fail  to  recall  that  highly  suggestive 
scene  of  the  Malebolge,  with  the  illustration  of  Gus- 
tave  Dore,  in  which  the  tempters  and  destroyers  of 
women  are  seen  scourged  with  whips,  in  the  hands 
of  demons ;  especially  when  we  remember  that  the 
whipping  of  slave  women  to  make  them  consent  to 
their  own  dishonor,  was  one  of  the  usages  of  the  pa- 
triarchal chivalry.  There  is  not  a  scene  in  which 
the  imaginings  of  Dante  have  been  better  seconded 
by  the  pencil  of  the  great  French  artist :  the  flying 
wretches  hurrying  in  opposite  directions,  as  the 
crowds  in  the  Jubilee  year  trampled  each  other,  go- 
ing and  returning  across  the  St.  Angelo  Bridge ; 
among  them  the  bat-winged  fiends  with  whips, 
lashing  right  and  left !  In  the  throng  are  female 
figures :  women  who  in  life  tortured  and  corrupted 
other  women.  What  terror  in  face  an  attitude ! 
How  desperately  they  grapple  with  the  rocks  to  lift 
themselves  out  of  reach  of  the  scourge  !  And  these 
two  demons  in  the  foreground  !  What  an  absolute 
idealization  of  muscular  ferocity!  Every  pirn1 wy 


ESSAY    ON    WOMAN-WHIPPING.  125 

line  in  their  cantour  displays  the  force  of  a  fallen 
demi-god ;  their  very  tails  curl  with  delight  in 
their  ministry  of  vengeance. 

AM ;  come  facen  Iftvar  le  berze, 
Alle  prime  percosse,  e  gia  nessuno, 
Le  second  aspettava  ne  le  terze  ! 

Ah  !  how  they  make  them  skip  !  There  is  Le- 
gree  and  Tom  Gordon,  and  Madame  de  Schlangen- 
bad,  from  Louisiana,  and  Mrs.  Crawley  (ne'e  Sharp) 
from  South  Carolina,  squirming  under  the  torture ! 
A  very  instructive,  if  not  agreeable  exhibition  ! 

But  this  fury  in  celestial  Southern  bosoms  was 
merely  institutional.  Dip  the  gentlest  nature  into 
the  element  of  irresponsible  power,  and  it  becomes 
in  time  covered  over  with  a  foul  incrustation  of 
cruelty.  Those  beastly  Roman  ladies  of  Juvenal's 
time,  who  could  order  a  slave  woman  to  be  whipped 
to  death  without  condescending  to  give  any  other 
reason  than  their  sic  volo,  sic  jubeo,  were  not  natu- 
rally worse  than  others.  Take  any  Roman  or 
Southern  girl  of  ten  years  of  age,  put  a  whip  in  her 
hands,  and  a  helpless  slave  child  at  her  mercy ;  let 
her  see  nothing  but  brutality  to  inferiors  all  around 
her,  and  by  the  time  she  is  ready  to  be  married, 
she  can  hold  up  her  thumb  to  the  standing  gladia- 
tor in  the  arena,  or  beg  her  lover  to  bring  her  back 


126  ESSAY    ON   WOMAN-WHIPPING. 

from  Bull  Run  a  ring  from  the  bones  of  some  Yan 
kee  soldier.  It  is  a  publicly  known  private  fact, 
illustrative  of  the  influence  of  slavery  on  the  fe- 
male character,  that  when  a  certain  Northern  cler- 
gyman applied  to  her  father  for  the  hand  of  a  cele- 
brated Maryland  heiress,  the  reply  was,  "  You  are 
quite  welcome  to  her !  but  I  think  it  only  fair  to 
tell  you  that  if  I  were  going  to  storm  hell,  I  should 
put  her  in  the  advance." 

There  is  every  reason  to  hope,  therefore,  that  the 
Southern  character,  both  male  and  female,  will  be- 
come gradually  ameliorated  by  the  changed  condi- 
tion under  which  it  will  hereafter  be  formed.  It  is 
a  common  error,  one  in  which  the  Southern  people 
themselves  share,  that  there  is  something  in  their 
climate  to  nurse  and  to  justify  their  "high  spirit," 
anglic'e  their  quarrelsomeness  and  brutality  of  tem- 
per. It  is  very  pleasant  to  lay  off  upon  Nature  or 
Providence  what  belongs  only  to  will  or  institu- 
tions. A  man  indulges  in  violent  passions  with 
little  restraint  or  remorse,  so  long  as  he  can  per- 
suade himself  he  is  merely  what  certain  positive 
natural  laws  make  him.  What  an  opiate  for  a  con- 
science defiled  with  lust  and  blood,  to  think  that 
this  is  only  natural  to  the  "  sunny  South."  But  in 
fact,  the  people  of  warm,  temperate,  and  tropical 


ESSAY    ON    WOMAN- WHIPPING.  127 

regions  are  most  commonly  gentle  of  mood ;  the 
climate  acts  as  an  anodyne,  and  soothes  them  into 
a  peaceful  equilibrium  of  the  passions.  The  ne- 
groes of  the  Southern  States  are  not  passionate  or 
vindictive — well  for  their  late  masters  and  present 
persecutors  that  they  are  not !  What  they  may  be- 
come from  the  treatment  they  are  experiencing 
from  those  preternatural  and  predestinated  fools,  is 
another  question. 

The  only  reason  the  "  chivalry  "  are  bad-tem- 
pered and  quarrelsome,  is  found  in  that  despotism 
in  which  they  have  been  nursed,  and  which  associ- 
ates the  idea  of  personal  dignity  with  an  instant  re- 
sort to  violence  at  any  contradiction.  But  for  sla- 
very, the  people  of  Mississippi  would  have  been  no 
more  addicted  to  street  fights,  dueling,  midnight 
assassinations,  etc.,  than  the  people  of  Massachu- 
setts. That  the  former  have  any  advantage  in  re- 
spect to  courage,  has  been  sufficiently  disproved  by 
the  rebellion.  Whether  the  ex-Confederate  ladies 
may  or  may  not  be  able  to  "  fire  the  Southern 
heart"  for  another  attempt  to  overthrow  the  Gov- 
ernment, it  will  at  least  never  be  done  under 
the  persuasion  that  one  Southerner  is  equal  to 
five  or  any  other  number  above  unity,  of  Yankees. 

The  traditions  of  slavery,  indeed,  will  remain  to 


128  ESSAY    ON    WOMAN-WHIPPING. 

keep  alive  among  the  late  slaveholding  caste,  the 
insolent  and  unchristian  temper  on  which  they  have 
prided  themselves.  But  having  no  more  helpless 
dependants  to  storm  at  and  abuse,  their  valor  will 
needs  submit  to  gradual  modifications.  Some  de- 
gree of  self-government  will  become  a  necessity. 
It  may  require  several  generations ;  but  institutions 
ceasing  to  corrupt  them,  the  loss  of  wealth,  the  ne- 
cessity of  work  and  a  new  Gospel  of  peace,  better 
than  their  old  slaveholding  Christianity,  will  grad- 
ually educate  them  into  a  law-abiding,  orderly,  and 
virtuous  people. 

The  Southern  woman  will  of  course  share  early 
in  this  beneficent  change — no  longer  perverted  into 
a  she-devil  by  the  possession  of  unrestrained  power, 
and  paying  just  wages  to  servants,  who,  if  not 
suited  with  their  work,  can  leave  without  having 
to  run  oif ;  her  gentler  virtues  will  have  a  chance 
to  assert  themselves.  Her  striking  qualities  will 
subside  into  a  charming  vivacity  of  temper.  She 
will  become  a  gracious  and  pious  mater-familias  ; 
she  will  perhaps  in  time  learn  to  apply  to  her  own 
children  a  portion  of  that  discipline  of  which  her 
slaves  enjoyed  a  monopoly.  In  short,  there  neither 
is  nor  ever  was  any  reason,  slavery  excepted,  why 
the  Southern  whites  should  not  possess  a  character 


ESSAY    ON    WOMAN-WHIPPING.  129 

for  industry,  peacefulnwss,  and  religion,  equal  to 
that  of  the  rural  districts  of  New  York  and  New 
England. 

Thank  God  that  we  have  lived  to  see  such  awful 
barbarisms  extinct !  In  fifty  years  the  last  woman- 
whipper  at  the  South  will  be  as  dead  as  Cleopa- 
tra ;  as  dead  as  the  pre-Adamite  brute  organiza- 
tions. History  will  be  ashamed  to  record  their  do- 
ings. The  fictions  in  which  thev  are  enbalmed 

o  * 

will  be  lost  in  the  better  coming  era  of  morals  and 
letters.  By  the  time  the  South  has  been  overflow- 
ed and  regenerated  by  a  beneficent  inundation  of 
Northern  "carpet-baggers,"  with  Yankee  capital 
and  enterprise,  it  will  be  forgotten  that  a  race  ca- 
pable of  the  crimes  referred  to  in  the  preceding 
story,  ever  existed. 


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GENERAL  LIBRARY -U.C.  BERKELEY 


